Basildon installs more charge points

An extra four electric vehicle charging points are being installed in Basildon, the council has announced.

The news follows the installations of four EV points last year as part of joint local air quality strategies between Basildon and Rochford District Councils, which aim to reduce the amount of nitrogen dioxide from vehicles.

The partnership with Rochford is a grant-funded scheme with electric vehicles charge supplier Swarco UK/eVolt. The overall aim of the project is to reduce levels of nitrogen in the shortest possible time.

This partnership lead to the councils being awarded a £1,258,000 grant from the Department for Transport, and a further £187,500 from the Office of Low Emission Vehicles.

This phase of works sees the delivery of the final charger installations for general use in Basildon car parks, as well as some new taxi-specific chargers in three of the borough’s main towns to incentivise transition to e-cabs.

Chairman of Basildon Council’s Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee Councillor Jack Ferguson said: “When it comes to improving our environment we want to be at the forefront of these initiatives as we encourage businesses and the public to move towards a greener society.

“These latest installations are the start of something great and innovative in Basildon. I look forward to the initiatives that will come in the future, making Basildon greener and safer environment for residents.”

Chairman of the Neighbourhoods and Public Spaces Committee Councillor David Harrison added: “This is great news for the borough and for our environment. It will be of particular benefit to local taxi drivers. The more of these points we can get installed across our borough the quicker we can move towards and greener and cleaner borough.”

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