Electric vehicle charging infrastructure on the strategic road network
Published 11 July 2025
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2025
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Policy aims
Government is committed to supporting industry to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption and their use for long journeys, with £400 million announced in the 2025 Spending Review to support the rollout of charging infrastructure, including along the strategic road network in England.
The transition to zero emission vehicles will drive economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower, helping the UK meet its climate change obligations and improve air quality. Access to a comprehensive public chargepoint network to support long journeys will enable more drivers to confidently make the switch to EVs.
Charging provision on the strategic road network, which covers motorways and major A-roads in England, has grown substantially over the last few years. There are now more than 5,500 open-access rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoints within one mile of the strategic road network (Zapmap, April 2025), including more than 1,100 chargepoints specifically at motorway service areas (industry data, July 2025). This means that provision of each has more than trebled over the last 3 years.
The public chargepoint network will need to continue to grow over the coming years as the number of EVs on our roads increases. In line with our ambitions for a zero-emission car, van, and heavy goods vehicle fleet, we aim to support industry to deliver visible, reliable, accessible charging infrastructure on the strategic road network ahead of need. This includes working with industry and other stakeholders where there are specific barriers to chargepoint installation.
We will continue to work with industry to understand how we can best focus support where it is needed. We are keen to hear feedback and views from industry and other stakeholders.
To find out more, you can email us at StrategicCharging@dft.gov.uk.
Alternatively, write to us at:
Strategic Charging Infrastructure
Office for Zero Emission Vehicles
Department for Transport
33 Horseferry Road
London, SW1P 4DR
Background
Government is committed to the transition to zero emission vehicles. To enable this, there is a need for a visible, reliable, accessible public charging network to support current and future electric vehicle drivers.
In November 2020, the Rapid Charging Fund was announced by the previous government to accelerate industry’s own investment in transport decarbonisation.
A pilot scheme was opened in December 2023 to fund a portion of the cost of upgrading the electricity grid at motorway service areas where it was not commercially viable for industry to do so.
After close working between government and interested stakeholders, the pilot concluded without making awards. It generated valuable learning, including improving understanding of future demand, barriers to rollout and helping identify innovative solutions. It also highlighted how much the market has changed since the Rapid Charging Fund was originally announced in 2020.