A firm developing wireless charging technology for electric cars has been given a share of a £37 million Department for Transport (DfT) grant.

East London-based char.gy plans to install systems on residential streets to enable motorists to charge their vehicles without trailing cables or additional infrastructure.

It is one of a dozen firms awarded money by the DfT in a bid to encourage more people to switch to electric vehicles by make it easier to charge them.

Other projects involve:

– Installing charge points in car parks to enable overnight mass charging.

– Using existing Virgin Media infrastructure to deliver cost-effective charging.

– Providing chargers built into pavements for discreet, low-cost charging.

The Government announced a plan last summer to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 204.

It wants at least half of new cars to be ultra-low emission by 2030.

Future of Mobility Minister Michael Ellis said: “We’re charging up the transport revolution and investing in technologies to transform the experience for electric vehicle drivers.

“Ensuring the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is reliable and innovative is encouraging more people to join the record numbers of ultra-low emission vehicle users already on UK roads.”

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “One of the biggest hurdles towards large scale electric vehicle uptake is the ability to charge overnight where an owner doesn’t own or have access to a personal and regular parking space.

“Wireless charging may prove to be the solution for residential streets and has the added benefits of having less of a footprint on the pavement as there are no cables to trip over.

“Investing in the nation’s charging network will help counter a perceived lack of charging points but more needs to be done in the short-term to convince drivers to replace their petrol or diesel vehicle to an electric car.”

Demand for new alternatively fuelled cars fell by nearly 12% year-on-year last month.

It is the first time the sector has had negative growth since April 2017.

Government grants for new low-emission cars were slashed in October last year, meaning hybrid models are no longer eligible for the scheme.

The DfT said it is now focusing on zero-emission models.

Neil Lancefield is PA Transport Correspondent.