Dozens of EV charge points given go-ahead by Gosport council

Electric vehicle charging points are to be installed in Hampshire in an effort to encourage residents and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint.

Gosport Borough Council’s Community Board has approved plans for the 12 new EV charge points to be installed across public car parks and council property – with likely sites including Walpole Park, Green Lane, Pebble Beach and Number 2 Battery West car parks in Gosport.

hampshirelive.news reported that the council’s report on the installation predicts that “the expected revenue from the EVCPs (electric vehicle charge points) would take several years to cover the cost of installation and any scheme is not likely to show a profit for several years.”

It is not known for certain how these will be paid for. One option is for the companies that install the EVCPs to lease parking bays free of charge from GBC for a period averaging 15 years.

They would then insure and manage the EVCPs and motorists would pay for the electricity.

Alternatively, the companies may part-fund the EVCPs or they could be fully funded entirely by the Local Authority.

Hampshire County Council (HCC) is already running pilot projects installing on-street EV charging points in Winchester and Eastleigh, and additional pilot projects will start next year in Farnborough and Aldershot.

Cllr Philip Raffaelli, who chairs the Community Board, said: “Electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular and the council needs to encourage this by providing the right facilities. This is an important step in helping residents do their bit to reduce the borough’s carbon footprint.”

Image: Shutterstock

Sign up for our essential
newsletter service.

Enter your details here.