The UK Government has sanctioned an investment for the installation of electric vehicles (EV) charging points in nine Welsh councils.

Provided by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), the funding will be used to install plug-in facilities in car parks and residential areas.

Welsh councils of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen in Gwent will receive £458,724.50 for the installation of 73 charge points, which will have 146 individual sockets.

The funds for Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Powys and Swansea councils have not been disclosed.

The government noted that while most owners prefer to charge their vehicles at home, the availability of off-street parking is not present in many areas, causing a hindrance.

For 2019 / 2020, the funding for on-street residential charge points scheme had been increased by £2.5m by the Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said: “The next few decades will be transformative for our transport industry and therefore it is vital that electric vehicle drivers feel confident about the availability of charge points near their homes and along their journeys.

“Greater availability of charge points will also encourage a shift towards greener transport, bringing significant environmental benefits with it.

“That is why the UK Government is committed to delivering this funding for local authorities across Wales, and I would encourage more councils to apply in order to create the necessary infrastructure to help us reach our net zero emissions target.”

The UK Government has also approved £1m funding for Cardiff’s new transport research network. The funding is part of the government’s scheme to inject £5m into low carbon transport.