Increasing EV Charging Capacity on the Strategic Road Network

Innovate UK, in partnership with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and National Highways, is investing up to £10 million to fund cutting-edge projects that expand public EV charging capacity for long-distance journeys along England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN).

This competition supports the development and demonstration of innovative, scalable solutions that tackle grid, power, and operational barriers at motorway service areas (MSAs) and all-purpose trunk road (APTR) cold spots, where EV drivers currently face limited access to ultra-rapid chargers.

Scope

Projects must test novel whole-system approaches that increase ultra-rapid (150 kW or more) charging capability and resilience.

Eligible concepts include:

• Grid-constraint innovations: boosting available power at SRN sites.
• Energy storage and management systems: integrating renewables, demand-response tools, or private networks.
• Smart charging and interoperability solutions: ensuring reliability, cybersecurity, and compatibility across networks.
• Place-based demonstrations: showing replicable solutions to reduce APTR cold spots.

Each project must enable at least 12 EVs (cars or vans) to access ultra-rapid charging simultaneously at demonstration sites and continue to operate the solution for at least three years beyond the funded period.

Eligibility and Funding

Total project funding request: between £500,000 and £3 million.
Project duration: start by 1 July 2026 and complete by 31 March 2028.
Lead applicant: UK-registered business of any size.
Consortium: must include both an SRN site operator and an EV charge point operator (CPO). Collaborations can also involve academic, public, or not-for-profit partners.

Funding rates:
Up to 70% for small businesses
Up to 60% for medium-sized businesses
Up to 50% for large businesses
Research organisations can share up to 30% of total eligible costs

Projects must demonstrate industrial research or experimental development activity and deliver measurable public benefit and sector learning.