Cenex - the UK’s first Centre for Excellence for low carbon vehicle technologies – has partnered with British Gas to make Government grants available to Midlands’ residents for electric vehicle charge points in their homes.

Offered at the point of sale, the grant will reduce the cost of a domestic charge point, making it more affordable for electric vehicle owners.

The offer includes a free electrical survey which British Gas will carry out for every customer, along with bespoke advice to ensure homes are safely fitted with a charge point that is best suited to the customer’s needs.

The qualifying charge points will be installed by a specialist British Gas engineer, and come with a Home Energy Monitoring System (HEMS) which allows customers to see the energy consumption of their electric vehicle and household appliances by providing information in easy to understand terms, such as pounds and pence.

Customers taking up the offer also receive three years of Home Electrical Care on their household through British Gas.

The grant is provided through Plugged-in Midlands, which is part of the Government’s Plugged-in Places scheme and is run by Cenex and Central Technology Belt.

The offer is open to electric vehicle owners across both the West and East Midlands, and gives a 60% discount on the cost of the charge point and its installation, as well as free membership to the Plugged-in Midlands Members Scheme until April 2013.

This membership allows access to the growing number of public charge points across the Midlands, as well as access to a number of other charge points across the country.

Plugged-in Midlands plans to install more than 250 charge posts in high profile public locations, including shopping centres and railway stations, to encourage electric vehicle users to travel further without fear of being unable to complete the journey home.

Adrian Vinsome of Cenex said: “Cenex has always promoted low carbon motoring, and is delighted that through this partnership with British Gas, electric vehicle owners in the Midlands are able to benefit from the latest safe and efficient home chargers – and at a significantly reduced price.

“The Midlands already has the highest number of electric vehicles registered outside of London, and I’m sure that this offer will help to strengthen the region’s lead in electric motoring.”

Dan Taylor, director of New Ventures at British Gas, said: “It is exciting to see the Plugged-in Places initiative growing and to be part of Cenex’s scheme, which will help make driving an electric vehicle in the Midlands a reality.

“With our network of engineers, we can help make buying an electric vehicle accessible and convenient through specialist advice and the installation of charging points.”