The Autumn Statement gave a major boost to the electric vehicle (EV) market with £2bn of investment and a pledge to reform the planning system to prioritise the roll-out of charge points.
The Treasury confirmed plans to amend the National Planning Policy Framework 'to ensure the planning system prioritises the roll-out of EV chargepoints, including EV charging hubs'.
Speaking in the House of Commons, chancellor Jeremy Hunt also pledged £4.5bn from 2025 for five years for 'strategic manufacturing' sectors including zero emission vehicles.
Out of this total, £2bn is being made available for the automotive sector 'to support the manufacturing and development of zero emission vehicles, their batteries and supply chain'.
The aerospace sector will receive £975m to support the development of energy efficient and zero-carbon aircraft technology and £960m is allocated to green industries to support strong clean energy manufacturing capacity. The remaining £520m is for life sciences
Treasury officials said: 'The government is creating more certainty for investors in low-carbon infrastructure by extending the critical national priority designation for nationally significant low-carbon energy projects. Alongside this, the government will look to remove unnecessary planning constraints by accelerating the expansion of EV charging infrastructure.'
Officials added that together with existing manufacturing support and decarbonisation plans, the new funding streams for strategic manufacturing 'will level up communities across the country with higher-paid jobs, improve the UK’s energy security, and help grow the sectors of the future'.
Edmund King, AA president, said: 'To help smooth the electrification journey, The AA welcomes plans to invest in zero emissions within the automotive industry.
'We would still like to see incentives for drivers to help them to take part in the zero emission transition when they are ready to do so. Hopefully these incentives, a further freeze in fuel duty, and a cut in Insurance Premium Tax will be outlined in the Spring Budget.'
