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Grants and loans

Local electric vehicle infrastructure fund

Location notice

Please note that this page contains information and links most relevant for people living in England.

About the local electric vehicle infrastructure (LEVI) fund 

The UK Government’s LEVI fund supports local authorities in England to work with the chargepoint industry, to improve the roll out and commercialisation of local charging infrastructure. 

These public chargepoints will help residents who don’t have off-street parking and need to charge their electric vehicles (EVs).   

The fund includes: 

  • Capital funding to contribute to the costs of delivering chargepoints.  
  • Capability funding for local authorities to employ and train new staff specifically to plan and deliver chargepoint infrastructure. 

The LEVI fund builds on the existing On-street residential chargepoint scheme (ORCS), which is now closed to new applications. 

Capital fund

Objectives

The LEVI Capital fund aims to: 

  • deliver a step-change in the deployment of local, primarily low power, on-street charging infrastructure across England 
  • accelerate the commercialisation of, and investment in, the local charging infrastructure sector 

Application process

For local authorities to access their indicative funding, they must follow a three-stage process:   

There are three stages to the LEVI Capital fund application process: 

  • Stage one: expression of interest 
  • Stage two: application form, criteria compliance and tender document review  
  • Stage three: contract review  

You can find more information on the process in the LEVI Capital Fund information pack, including the full assessment criteria. 

Local authorities can access the LEVI Knowledge Repository which contains information and advice on planning and delivering EV infrastructure.

Published LEVI tenders

Please see the links below to access LEVI tenders that have been approved through the LEVI Capital Fund scheme and published by the relevant contracting authority.  

Links are shared once the tier one local authority informs the Support Body the tender is published. 

See a list of local authority application status’, which is updated bi-monthly.

Procurement guidance

Procurement guidance has been developed by the LEVI support body and OZEV to support local authorities. 

This can be accessed by local authorities on the National EV Insight & Support (NEVIS) platform. 

Key procurement guidance documents can also be accessed on the procurement forum  by all stakeholders. 

Capital fund Q&A

Capability fund

Objectives 

The LEVI Capability fund is available to tier 1 local authorities in England. The Capability fund aims to: 

  • increase the capacity and capability of every tier 1 local authority to plan and deliver EV infrastructure
  • enable every tier 1 local authority to have a published EV infrastructure strategy for its area
  • enable every tier 1 local authority to take advantage of the LEVI capital fund

Application process and timeline

On 21 February 2023, the government launched the FY 22/23 Capability fund. The Department for Transport contacted tier 1 local authorities to notify them of their Capability Fund allocation, and authorities would have completed and submitted a proforma to the LEVI Support Body by 10 March 2023 to have received their FY22/23 payment. 

On 30 March 2023, further capability funding was announced for FYs 23/24 and 24/25. Local authorities were informed of their funding allocation and were invited to submit updated proforma then grant documentation to the LEVI Support Body. Information on when 23/24 payments will be made will also be provided. 

Through new and internal recruitment of existing local authority officers, and increased full-time equivalent (FTE), the LEVI Capability fund has supported over 150 EVI officers as of March 2024. 

Capability fund Q&A for local authorities 

Electric vehicle infrastructure training course for local authorities

A UK Government-funded electric vehicle infrastructure (EVI) training course is available to register for. The course is designed to upskill local authority officers as they coordinate the deployment of public charging infrastructure. Topics covered include EVI technology, users and stakeholders, EVI strategy, EVI procurement, deployment and operations.

Applications are now open for cohorts to sign up to the course and start learning in March or April 2024. Additional courses are planned for September 2024 and January 2025.

The UK Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) is funding one place per tier-one local authority or London Borough. Additional places are available for a fee.

Find out more

National EV Insight & Strategy tool

Cenex delivers the National EV Insight & Strategy (NEVIS) tool. NEVIS supplies reliable, independent, up-to-date information about EVs and EV infrastructure both locally and nationally.  

As part of Cenex’s LEVI Support Body role, NEVIS is available to all English local authorities free of charge until March 2025. Applicable local authority officers and members can access NEVIS using their work email address. Other similar software tools are available and use of NEVIS is not compulsory.  

 

Create a free account to access NEVIS

LEVI Support Body information

The LEVI Support Body (Energy Saving Trust, Cenex and PA Consulting) will provide ongoing support and guidance to all applicants. The support body is the first point of contact for any queries or questions about the LEVI scheme. 

  • Energy Saving Trust is an independent organisation dedicated to promoting energy efficiency, low carbon transport and sustainable energy use. We aim to address the climate emergency and deliver the wider benefits of clean energy as the UK transitions to net zero. 
  • Cenex leads the LEVI Fund Support Body’s technical advice and guidance for local authorities, building on its longstanding expertise in the design, development and delivery of EV charging strategies. 
  • PA Consulting is a global innovation and technology consultancy with a strong track record in Clean and Smart Mobility, including transport strategy, economics, analytics and digital platforms. 

Contact the LEVI Support Body by emailing LEVI@est.org.uk  

 

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Last updated: 24 September 2024