Boost to EV charging

 Much needed! Repost from Edie.

Government announces £40.8m boost for EV charging in the Midlands

Government has announced a major expansion of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in the Midlands, with more than 16,000 new chargepoints planned.

• CLIMATE & NATURE
 
• ENERGY
 
• NET-ZERO STRATEGY
 
• STRATEGY AND DELIVERY
 
• SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
 
• TRANSPORT
 
• TRANSPORT AND MOBILITY

Sidhi Mittal

Published 7th March 2025

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The UK’s public chargepoint network currently stands at around 74,000 available chargers.

The Department for Transport has confirmed today (7 March) that 13 local authorities, supported by Midlands Connect, have secured £40.8m from the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to support the rollout.

The LEVI Fund aims to accelerate the commercialisation of, and investment in, the local charging infrastructure sector.

The new funding will improve access to charging, particularly for those without off-street parking, and will extend infrastructure into smaller towns and rural areas.

It forms part of Labour’s pledge to allocate £2.3bn to ease the UK’s transition to EVs, while creating create jobs and strengthening the UK’s clean energy sector. Last week, it announced £120m to help businesses and individuals buy zero-emission vans, taxis and electric motorcycles.

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Making charging as seamless and as easy as possible is crucial to making the switch to electric a success and rolling out over 16,000 chargers across the Midlands will make driving an EV cheaper and easier, especially for those without a driveway.

“EVs will power growth, cut emissions and improve lives in the Midlands and beyond as we continue to deliver our Plan for Change.”

The UK’s public chargepoint network currently stands at around 74,000 available chargers, of which nearly 20,000 were added in the past year.

Charging hubs for HGVs

In a related development, Innovate UK has announced that 54 new charging hubs for zero-emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will be built under its Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Programme.

The hubs will be located at depots, motorway services and key transport routes across the UK, providing charging and hydrogen refuelling for freight operators.

The announcement was made at the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrations summit in London, where more than 400 businesses discussed the future of the freight sector.

The charging hubs will be developed through four key partnerships—Project Electric Freightway, eFREIGHT2030, ZENFreight and HyHAUL—to establish a nationwide network for zero-emission freight transport.

The Government says the investment will ensure EV drivers and freight operators have reliable access to charging, regardless of location.

Ask edie...

• What is the current state of EV charging infrastructure in the UK?
• How does the LEVI Fund support the rollout of EV charging infrastructure?
• How many public chargepoints are currently available in the UK?
• Can electric vehicles power growth and cut emissions in the UK?
• How will the UK's public chargepoint network change in the next year?

Innovate UK’s knowledge transfer manager for zero emission mobility Simon Buckley said: “The announcement of 54 new infrastructure hubs marks a transformative moment for the UK’s freight industry.

“By strategically placing these hubs across the country, we are addressing one of the biggest barriers to zero-emission HGV adoption: reliable infrastructure.

“This programme not only accelerates the transition to cleaner transport but also strengthens supply chain resilience, ensuring businesses can move goods sustainably without compromising efficiency.”

Another pathetic supine US company

 Is there no end to the list of a***-licking, supine US companies? Reposted from Edie.

An outrageous abdication of responsibility’: Wells Fargo drops net-zero targets

Banking giant Wells Fargo & Co has abandoned a commitment to reach net-zero financed emissions, stating that it will instead “meet clients where they are in their chosen energy and transition strategies”.

• Finance
 
• Net-zero strategy
 
• Strategy and delivery

Sarah George

Published 3rd March 2025

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The US-based bank confirmed late last week that it will no longer strive to deliver net-zero financed emissions by 2050. It is also scrapping interim 2030 targets on financed emissions, which had been set on a sector-specific basis for several high-carbon sectors including steel, automotive manufacturing, aviation and oil and gas.

Financed emissions – those generated by the companies and projects which a bank supports – are the largest source of any large financial firm’s climate footprint. For example, Standard Chartered last week confirmed that its financed emissions account for more than 98% of its total emissions.

A statement from Wells Fargo said it is “adjusting our approach to focus on doing what banks do best – providing financing and expertise to help clients pursue their own objectives”.

The statement argues that the bank has always been clear that achieving its financed emissions targets would depend on “many factors outside our control”, including “public policy, consumer behavior, and technology changes”.

“Many of the conditions necessary to facilitate our clients’ transitions have not occurred,” it adds.

Market conditions will likely deteriorate further in the US in the coming years as President Donald Trump seeks to undo predecessor Joe Biden’s work to scale investment in renewable energy, electric vehicles and nature while unlocking more opportunities to expand fossil fuel production.

Trump has pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement for a second time, starkly reducing the proportion of global GDP covered by national-level climate targets.

Following last November’s US election, Wells Fargo and several of its peers withdrew from the Net Zero Banking Alliance. This trend also impacted similar collaborative initiatives including the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative (NZAM), which in January suspended its activities as a result of the fallout.

Wells Fargo is maintaining an ambition to deploy $500bn in financing for low-carbon and otherwise sustainable activities by 2030. To date, $178bn has been deployed.

Environmental organisations have slammed Wells Fargo for its decision, which is the first of its kind from a bank of this scale. While HSBC weakened its net-zero targets last month, it ultimately kept some 2050 ambitions.

Sierra Club’s sustainable finance campaign director Ben Cushing said: “Wells Fargo’s decision to abandon its net-zero targets is an outrageous abdication of responsibility.

“Instead of using its significant influence to drive the energy transition and address the climate crisis, the bank is hiding behind the excuse that it can only passively follow its clients’ actions. Real-world decarbonization must happen across the economy, but banks play a critical role in shaping market dynamics through their financing and client engagement decisions.

“As the world’s fifth-largest financier of fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement, Wells Fargo has actively fuelled the climate crisis while now attempting to shift the blame onto everyone else. This retreat is both cowardly and shortsighted.”

Reclaim Finance’s senior analyst Paddy McCully added: “Wells Fargo is cravenly following the extreme anti-climate agenda of the Trump regime.

“While its emission targets, like its overall climate policies, were extremely weak, the bank at least recognised that it had a responsibility to act on climate. By saying now that it will just help its clients do their own thing, Wells Fargo is abdicating all of its climate responsibilities and saying that if its clients want to go ahead and cook the planet, Wells Fargo will be there for them.”