Increasing EV Charging Capacity on the Strategic Road Network

Overview

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, in partnership with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), will invest up to £10 million to develop and demonstrate innovative solutions that increase public EV charging capacityfor longer journeys along England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN).
The competition aims to overcome power, grid, and operational constraints at motorway service areas (MSAs) and all-purpose trunk road (APTR) cold spots — helping enable ultra-rapid charging for more vehicles, more reliably, across the UK’s major roads.

Scope

Projects must deliver and demonstrate real-world, whole-system innovations that:

• Increase ultra-rapid (150kW+) EV charging capability at SRN sites in England
• Address grid, power, or operational challenges that restrict deployment
• Enable at least 12 EVs (cars and vans) to access ultra-rapid charging at a single site
• Improve interoperability, safety, and reliability of charging infrastructure
• Continue to operate post-funding (for 3 years minimum) and share learnings publicly

Each project must include a detailed deployment plan for one or more sites within one mile of the SRN, with measurable impact on charging access and grid performance.

Key themes and topics

Projects must take a whole-systems approach integrating technology, energy, and infrastructure to:

• Overcome grid constraint challenges at SRN locations
• Deliver new ultra-rapid (150kW+) charging solutions at APTR cold spots and MSAs
• Demonstrate replicable models for wider national rollout
• Enhance site-wide energy resilience, integrating renewable energy, storage, or smart systems

Eligible technologies may include:

• Distributed energy generation (excluding biomass)
• Private networks or grid boosting technologies
• Energy storage and management systems
• Advanced monitoring and demand response tools
• Data, digital, or cyber-secure control systems for grid efficiency

Project duration

• Start: by 1 July 2026
• End (funded activities): by 31 March 2028
• Operation period (self-funded): 3 years beyond project end

Award value

• Grant request per project: £500,000–£3 million
• Total fund: up to £10 million (grants only)

Funding rates

Industrial research:

• Micro/small: up to 70% of eligible costs
• Medium: up to 60%
• Large: up to 50%

Experimental development (near-market):

• Micro/small: up to 45%
• Medium: up to 35%
• Large: up to 25%

Research participation (non-economic): up to 30% of total costs shared across research partners

• RTOs, charities, public sector, or research orgs: up to 100%
• Je-S academics: 80% of full economic cost (FEC)

Eligibility criteria

• Lead: UK-registered business of any size (must include at least one SME).
• Collaboration: required — consortium must include both a site operator and an EV charge point operator (CPO).
• Location: project work in the UK; results exploited in/from the UK.
• Consortium partners: may include businesses, academics, RTOs, charities, not-for-profits, and public sector organisations.
• Non-funded partners: permitted; costs count toward total project costs.
• Subcontractors: allowed (UK or overseas with justification).
• Applications: one per lead; organisations may collaborate on multiple.
• Projects must comply with Subsidy Control Act 2022, sanctions, and animal research standards.
• Businesses under the Windsor Framework are ineligible.

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