Record chargepoint growth in the East Midlands as Future of Roads Minister visits local charging hub

As the Future Roads Minister Lillian Greenwood visited the East Midlands on Thursday 23rd January 2025, the Government said that more electric car drivers in the East Midlands are benefitting from a chargepoint boom.

The Minister met with Osprey Charging in Gamston, Nottinghamshire to discuss how the Department and industry can continue working together to turbocharge the chargepoint roll-out as the Government continues to support the switch to Electric Vehicles (EVs).

This comes alongside a £38m Government boost to roll out even more on-street chargers in the East Midlands through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, helping more drivers, from Nottingham to Northampton, from Leicester to Lincoln, charge their EV easily near their home.

A statement from The Department for Transport said that getting the transition right and supporting the growth of the electric vehicle market in the UK will enable Britain to tap into a multibillion-pound industry, create high paid jobs for decades to come and deliver on our plan for change by putting more money in the pockets of hardworking families.

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “As more and more people make the switch to electric vehicles, it’s brilliant to see the chargepoint infrastructure grow so rapidly in Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands.                                    

“This fantastic Gamston Lock charging hub shows the convenience of fitting rapid chargers around strategic places such as restaurants, supermarkets and shopping centres, so that drivers can charge their cars easily, quickly and with peace of mind.”

“Our drive to roll out more chargepoints is part of the £2.3bn package to help drivers and industry in the East Midlands and across the country switch to electric, support jobs, and make the UK a clean energy superpower as part of our plan for change.”

The Gamston Lock charging hub has 8 powerful 300kW chargers and can add 100 miles of range in just 10-25 minutes depending on the electric vehicle.

The charging site is located in the car park of the popular Gamston Lock restaurant. This means drivers can charge their cars while enjoying a meal out or exploring the idyllic Holme Pierrepont Country Park.

The ultra-rapid Osprey Charging hub is an example of the charging options available at hospitality venues, shopping centres, offices and other key locations where drivers can charge their EVs easily and conveniently while they go about their daily lives.

Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, said: “Osprey is proud to be at the forefront of the UK’s public charge point roll out, as the network that has installed the most high-powered charging infrastructure over the last two years.

“In the East Midlands, Osprey operates 150 rapid and ultra-rapid charge points across 43 different locations - ensuring the region’s drivers have access to reliable infrastructure that will support them to choose an EV.

“A great example of the vital re-charging network supporting the UK’s Net Zero goals, the 8-charger Gamston Lock hub is conveniently located on the A52. The exemplary charging hub offers eight 300kW ultra-rapid chargers with simple contactless payment, 24/7 customer support and is open to all major roaming partnerships, making it as easy as possible for customers to make the switch to electric driving. It was great to welcome the Minister to the site today.”

The accelerated chargepoint roll-out in the East Midlands is being replicated right across the country, with more than 73k public chargepoints now available in the UK, alongside £6bn of private investment in the pipeline to roll out thousands of new chargepoints by 2030.

382,000 electric cars and vans were sold in 2024 – a 21% increase on 2023 – figures which are reported to make the UK the largest market in Europe for EVs.

The Department for Transport statement said that electric cars are becoming cheaper to own and drive than ever, and can run from as little as 2p per mile. It also said that industry research shows that using an electric vehicle could save people up to £750 a year in running costs compared with petrol and diesel cars if they are charging at home.

There was also a statement that upfront costs are also coming down, with 1 in 3 used electric cars now costing under £20,000 to buy, according to industry figures. Thanks to these benefits, 97% of EV drivers who were consulted, said they do not want to go back to petrol and diesel cars.