Local electric vehicle infrastructure fund

Local authorities must show evidence of how they plan to use their LEVI capital funding by completing an expression of interest (EOI) form. All local authorities will need to submit their EOI by 26 May 2023. 

During the EOI stage, local authorities were asked if they’d like to receive their capital funding in either the 2023/2024 financial year (referred to as tranche one during the application process) or the 2024/2025 financial year (tranche two).  

Local authorities indicated their preferred tranche based on how prepared they were to submit a full LEVI Capital fund application and receive funding. 

The LEVI Support Body assessed the EOIs and determine which tranche the local authority will progress in. The Support Body will notify local authorities of their tranche, and then help local authorities with the next stage of their application.   

Local authorities that have been assigned a tranche will be given access to the stage two application form. The application form will ask local authorities to produce a draft tender document for review. Applications must satisfy the scope and conditions of the LEVI fund, as set out in pages 15 to 19 of the LEVI Capital Fund information pack.

We have developed a concession contract Heads of Terms for local authorities seeking to deploy electric vehicle infrastructure. This provides best practice guidance on the key contractual and commercial terms that local authorities will need to consider for a contract. We advise local authorities to use these Heads of Terms, however it is not mandatory to do so.

The deadline for stage two applications for 2023/2024 funding (tranche one) was 30 November 2023. The application deadline for 2024/2025 funding (tranche two) was 19 July 2024. The deadline for Invite To Tender (ITT) documents submission, which makes up part of stage two, is 15 November 2024 for all Local Authorities (both tranche one and tranche two).  

Local authorities in both tranche one and tranche two will receive ongoing support from the Support Body, and will be encouraged to complete their applications ahead of final deadlines.   

For local authorities in tranche one, with a post approval action plan (PAAP), that already received 90% of their capital fund allocation, the remaining 10% of the allocated funding will be issued upon the point that the LEVI Programme Board agrees that PAAP actions have been completed, and approves of the ITT documents.  

For all other local authorities, once the LEVI programme board approves the application and ITT documents; a grant award letter, memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be issued, and 100% of the allocated capital funding. 

• You can download the questions for stage two here.

Local authorities that have completed stages one and two will submit their draft EV infrastructure contract to the Support Body for review and approval. This will be assessed to determine whether the commercial arrangement between local authorities and private sector partners meet the fund criteria.

Plymouth City Council

• LEVI funded electric vehicle charge points and related infrastructure (Procontract)
• LEVI funded electric vehicle charge points and related infrastructure (Find-tender) 
• LEVI funded electric vehicle charge points and related infrastructure (Contractsfinder) 

Wokingham Borough Council

• Local electric vehicle infrastructure (LEVI) (Contractsfinder)

North Yorkshire Council 

• North Yorkshire Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Network – Concession Contract (Contractsfinder) 
• North Yorkshire Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Network – Concession Contract (Find-tender) 

North Northamptonshire Council 

• Provision of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure and Associated Services (LEVI)  (Contractsfinder) 
• Provision of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure and Associated Services (LEVI) (Find-tender) 

Kent County Council 

• SC250082 – Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (Procontract) 

Devon & Torbay  

• CP2463-23 Devon & Torbay Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (Procontract)
• CP2463-23 Devon & Torbay Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure  (Contracts Finder) 

Cheshire West & Chester  

• Supply, Install, Maintain and Operate Electric Vehicle Chargepoints – LEVI 

• LEVI funding will be allocated to tier 1 local authorities in England. This means funding will be made available to county councils, unitary authorities or combined authorities. Separate arrangements have been made for London boroughs. The funding will support infrastructure delivery across the entire authority. 
• To make sure the constituent authorities’ needs are considered by LEVI-eligible local authorities, the LEVI Support Body will ask for letters of support from the relevant tier two authorities (or constituent authorities in a combined authority) for LEVI proposals. 

• Eligible local authorities will be informed of their LEVI capital funding amount. Funding has been determined for each local authority using a data-led approach.  
• Alongside public funding, local authorities will need to secure further investment to support the development of a more self-sufficient local chargepoint market ahead of the 2035 phase out date. 

• All capital costs associated with the installation of EV chargepoints are eligible for funding. This includes chargepoint hardware, electrical connection costs, civil engineering costs and other installation costs. 
• The LEVI Fund is intended to fund primarily lower powered local chargepoints. Rapid charging is eligible for funding as part of projects, but it’s expected that most of the funding supports delivery of lower powered chargepoints in line with LEVI Fund objectives.  

 Projects must demonstrate that they primarily focus on low powered chargepoints to benefit residents without off-street parking. More specific use cases can include:

• Residents using local authority supported car clubs​.
• Commuting residents where the majority do not have off-street parking e.g. car parks near those homes​.

The following users can also benefit from LEVI projects where there is sound commercial reasoning, but the minority of chargepoints must solely benefit them:

• Tourists/customers/visitors/non-residential commuters e.g. car park and ride​.
• Private hire vehicle/ taxi drivers using ranks​.
• Commercial vehicle drivers (including cars and vans), excluding at the businesses’ address​.

• The LEVI fund aims to address regional and charging inequality through providing funding across England.  
• The fund will help to make sure that no part of the country is left behind. 

• Local authorities must collaborate within their area of allocated funding. This will mean greater coordination, scale and private sector investment in projects. 

• Outside of allocation areas, local authorities are also encouraged to work together and identify opportunities to join-up infrastructure deployment.  

Funding has been made available to county councils, unitary authorities and combined authorities, where applicable. Combined authorities will be allocated and issued funding on behalf of authorities in their region. 

There is a bespoke approach for London that involves Transport for London and London councils. 

See the allocation values here. 

Yes. We welcome proposals where local authorities have found an opportunity to join up infrastructure capability and deployment.

Yes. Match funding is encouraged, and local authorities can use the grant funding to help deliver their plans.  

Yes. Local authorities should identify how the resource funding can best support them to increase their capability to deliver EV infrastructure. This could mean one or multiple full-time members of staff across different roles and teams. The proposed approach should be explained in the proposal.   

The LEVI Support Body will provide feedback and work with local authorities if initial proposals require further consideration. 

The LEVI Support Body is available to talk about resourcing and recruitment. It should be noted that the scheme is aimed at securing and developing resource rather than specifically experienced technical experts, and the LEVI Support Body will provide tools to help with upskilling staff.   

Local authorities should take advantage of upcoming onboarding and training services provided by Energy Saving Trust through the Local Government Support Programme. This will be valuable for new staff of all experience levels. 

The funding is available for a set period, but we encourage all local authorities to think about how to create a lasting impact with the funding.  

Read an overview of the LEVI Fund from OZEV.