UK drivers will benefit from an additional £56 million in public and industry funding for increasing electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints across the country.

Transport Minister Jesse Norman announced that the funding will help deliver up to a further 2,400 chargepoints set to be installed in the short term, while working to support local councils to deliver tens of thousands more in the long term.

The funding will expand the current Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot, boost the existing On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) and help councils across England secure dedicated resource to develop in-house expertise and capability to coordinate chargepoint plans and work with private operators – delivering a more comprehensive and reliable network of chargepoints for drivers.

In addition to expanding 3 of the original LEVI pilot schemes, there are also 16 new pilot scheme areas.

Technology and Decarbonisation Transport Minister, Jesse Norman said: "The government is giving local authorities across England additional help today to energise their chargepoint roll-out plans."

"Today’s commitment will lead to thousands of new chargers being installed, and plans for tens of thousands extra in due course, so that more people than ever can make the transition to using EVs."

In total, £22 million of government funding for the pilot areas is supported by an additional £17 million of private funding, and £2 million from public funds across local authorities.

In addition to expanding the pilot scheme, today also sees the launch of the £8 million LEVI Capability Fund which will equip local authorities with the skills and ambition to scale up their plans when it comes to their charging strategy.

The funding will help local authorities work in tandem with private business and chargepoint operators to drive the sustainable growth of local networks, building and utilising their collective knowledge and expertise to deliver the most ambitious chargepoint plans for their area.