UK Refers £190 Million Motorway EV Charging Scheme for Subsidy Control Review

A proposed government initiative, the Strategic Charging Infrastructure Scheme, has been allocated an indicative budget of £190 million to improve electric vehicle charging facilities.¹ The plan's primary goal is to increase the availability of open-access EV charging at Motorway Service Areas (MSAs).¹ It aims to achieve this by resolving the problem of insufficient and costly electricity network capacity at these locations.¹ This funding is part of a larger £400 million commitment announced in the Spending Review 2025, designated for EV charging infrastructure support from 2026 to 2030.¹

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) has formally referred the proposed scheme to the Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) for evaluation.¹ Due to its nature and scale, the proposal has been classified as a Scheme of Particular Interest.¹ The SAU will produce an advisory report assessing whether OZEV's own evaluation of the scheme aligns with established subsidy control requirements.¹ This review is a mandatory step in the process before the subsidy can be awarded.¹

The SAU's review process operates on a defined schedule.¹ The formal reporting period commenced on 24 September 2026.¹ From that date, the unit is obligated to complete its draft report within a 30-working-day timeframe.¹ The final report is scheduled for publication on 4 November 2026.¹

The current design of the scheme was shaped by input from an earlier public consultation.¹ OZEV conducted this consultation process during June and July of 2026.¹ As part of the SAU's ongoing review, additional feedback from third parties was also solicited.¹ The deadline for these external parties to provide their input was set for 12 October 2026.¹

The handling of these third-party submissions is subject to specific conditions.¹ The SAU will only take outside submissions into consideration if the submitting party grants permission for them to be shared with OZEV.¹ A copy of any accepted submission will be forwarded to OZEV at the same time as the SAU's final report.¹ This allows OZEV to use the external feedback to inform its decision on whether to modify the scheme or proceed with it as planned.¹

The scheme's operational model involves direct government action to facilitate infrastructure improvements.¹ Under the plan, the government will procure the necessary grid upgrades at the chosen motorway service stations.¹ Once the upgrades are complete, the government will hold this additional network capacity in reserve.¹ This reserved power will be made available to MSA operators or charge point operators for the purpose of expanding EV charging.¹ The geographical application of this entire initiative is confined to England.¹

Operators of MSAs and companies installing charge points are the intended beneficiaries of this program.¹ To gain access to the reserved grid power, these operators can submit applications directly to the corresponding connection provider.¹ The scheme is specifically aimed at supporting the installation of open-access EV charging equipment that is universally usable by all drivers.¹

A specific financial mechanism will be used to manage the cost of accessing the new capacity.¹ Operators will make payments for the network capacity based on a system known as a second comer charge.¹ To ensure that installing new charging points remains a commercially viable proposition for operators, the government will partially waive this charge.¹

The scheme will not be applied to all locations, but will instead prioritize sites based on need.¹ It will focus on MSA locations that exhibit the widest disparity between their current grid capacity and their projected future requirements.¹ Additionally, priority will be given to sites where the cost of upgrading the network is considered too high to be commercially viable without government support.¹

The infrastructure upgrades are being designed with long-term energy needs in mind.¹ The improvements are intended to satisfy the projected demand for EV charging at the selected sites until at least the year 2035.¹ In certain cases, the capacity planning for the upgrades will extend even further, up to the year 2050.¹ However, the total number of locations that can be included in the scheme is ultimately limited by the size of its available budget.¹

The £190 million indicative budget for the Strategic Charging Infrastructure Scheme represents a substantial portion of the total funding for this area.¹ This amount comes from the £400 million that Spending Review 2025 allocated for EV charging infrastructure for the period between 2026 and 2030.¹ The scheme specifically targets a known bottleneck in the expansion of EV facilities: the lack of affordable, high-capacity grid connections at motorway service areas in England.¹

The review by the Subsidy Advice Unit is a critical checkpoint for this major infrastructure project.¹ The unit's forthcoming report will provide an official opinion on whether the proposed subsidy aligns with regulatory controls.¹ Ultimately, the decision to proceed with, modify, or halt the scheme rests with OZEV.¹ This decision will be informed by the SAU's report and any relevant feedback gathered from third parties during the review period.¹