Open consultation

Electric vehicles: strategic charging infrastructure scheme

• From: Department for Transport
• Published: 26 June 2026

Applies to England

Summary

Seeks views on proposals for a scheme that addresses high electricity network upgrade costs at motorway service areas in England.

This consultation closes at
11:59pm on 28 July 2026

Consultation description

The government is committed to decarbonising road transport. A visible charging network is essential for successful electric vehicle (EV) uptake.

Motorway service areas (MSAs) offer charging on major routes, particularly for long-distance travel. However, limited access to affordable electricity network capacity remains a significant barrier to charger rollout in England.

The strategic charging infrastructure (SCI) scheme will strengthen electricity network infrastructure to selected MSAs where investment is not commercially viable. This will enable the deployment of ultra-rapid chargers.

This consultation seeks industry views on site selection and terms for accessing the resulting network capacity. Feedback and evidence from this consultation will inform the design of the scheme.

Documents

Strategic charging infrastructure scheme

HTML

Ways to respond

Respond online

or

Email to:

StrategicCharging@dft.gov.uk

Write to:

Strategic Charging Infrastructure Team
Office for Zero Emission Vehicles
Department for Transport
33 Horseferry Road
London, SW1P 4DR

Published 26 June 2026