More than 150 EV charging points are due to be installed across Cornwall after the local authority secured funding to roll them out.
The new units will be installed across the county’s public car parks and offices as well as in community settings where there is currently limited availability.
The council secured the £2.9m cash for the project through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with the local authority providing an additional further £725,000 to cover the remaining cost.
The charge points will bring the number of public facilities to 360 by 2023 in the area.
Edwina Hannaford, Cornwall Council cabinet member for climate change, said: “With road transport accounting for 22% of Cornwall’s carbon footprint, reducing it needs to be a focus of our activity.
“We have to reduce the amount of miles we drive independently and the type of vehicles we use to get around. Travel in Cornwall isn’t as easy as in major cities where public transport is more readily available, but with electric vehicles becoming more widely available we have to increase the infrastructure to support them and help people make the switch.
“I hope to see more electric vehicles on Cornwall’s roads in the coming years to help Cornwall become Carbon Neutral by 2030. And this is an important step along the carbon neutral way to having enough charging points to make electric vehicles a credible sustainable choice in Cornwall. As we work to improve access to infrastructure, I would also like to see more financial incentives from industry and government to enable people to make the switch.”
Councillor Geoff Brown, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for transport, said: “As a Council we are committed to giving people choices about how they travel which not only benefit their health, but the environment too.
“We have invested heavily in cycling and walking schemes which make it easier – and safer – for people to travel to work and for children to travel to school and our supported bus network features the latest generation of low emission vehicles.”
