Bedford Borough Council has installed 30 EV charging points following a successful bid for over £96,000 to the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
In partnership with EV charging specialist Connected Kerb, it is installing 30 EV charging points on streets across the area.
The charging points will be installed in five different streets and because they are on-street cater for residents without driveways or unable to traditionally charge at home.
The installations are part of the council’s ongoing efforts to support its transition to greener transport and improve local air quality. The sites will help to shape the future of additional borough-wide charge point deployments.
Mayor Dave Hodgson said “No new diesel and petrol vehicles will be sold in the UK from 2030, in just 9 years’ time, and we need to get EV infrastructure in place to help residents to make this change.
“Through this successful grant application, we are able to install 30 charging points in five different parts of Bedford where houses do not generally have their own driveways. These points will join those already in place in Bedford and make it easier for people to start to shift away from traditional fossil-fuelled vehicles.
“Initially the spaces with the charging points will function as normal parking spaces and will not be reserved for electric vehicles, but we will keep this under review and if demand requires, this is something we can look to change, in partnership with the local community on those streets.”
CEO of Connected Kerb, Chris Pateman-Jones, said: “We’re thrilled to be working alongside Bedford on this forward-thinking project. The Council is showing crucial environmental stewardship in delivering a convenient on-street charging solution for its residents, one that we hope will show people that electric vehicles are a viable option and encourage them to switch.
“To date, people without driveways have been largely excluded from EV ownership, but with government bans on the horizon and more people looking to transition from polluting vehicles, on-street charging solutions become increasingly important. Bedford is leading the way in this regard.”
