THE market and infrastructure for electric vehicles in Nottinghamshire are probably best described as still being in their infancy. But many observers are confident that the age of electric transport in Britain is on the horizon and Nottingham businesses can now benefit from a 50% reduction on the cost of installing the electrical charging points which are necessary to charge the batteries of their electric vehicles. The average cost of electrical vehicle charging points, including installation, is being put at £8.5-9.5k and businesses in Nottingham can get half of this cost back under the Government’s Plugged in Places (PiP) programme, which is led in the Midlands by the Centre for Excellence for Low Carbon Vehicle Technologies (CENEX), at Loughborough University. Under this scheme companies must pay the full costs of purchase and installation upfront but can then recover half of the money. The PiP scheme is being promoted in Nottingham by Nottingham City Council, with the funding decisions on applications being made by CENEX. Jennie Maybury, principal transport planner in the city council’s transport strategy team, has already approached several of Nottingham’s largest employers as she feels that these will be the ones most interested in developing charging points for future electric fleets. As well as helping businesses reduce their total carbon emissions, promoting electric vehicles through the installation of charging points will also help create jobs, she points out. The authority itself operates two public charging points in the Victoria Centre car park and has plans to install further charging points at a park and ride site, the Midland Station Hub and for the free Centrelink bus service when it converts to electric. Nationally, the Government’s electric vehicle market pump-priming includes up to £5,000 cashback for buyers of electric and plug-in hybrid cars. In Nottingham, Chinese car maker Changan, which is developing electric and hybrid vehicles, has announced that it is doubling the size of its R&D facility. Businesses which want to apply for the PiP funding scheme should do so by contacting Jennie Maybury at jennie.maybury@nottinghamcity.gov.uk or 0115 876 3946