Several councils across the country have announced new schemes aimed at driving growth in the public charging network this week.
Northumberland
Plans have been announced for 120 charging points at Northumberland’s County Hall in Morpeth to bring the council “into the next century”.
The project, approved by members of the Castle Morpeth Local Area, will see 100 fast chargers and 10 rapid chargers alongside a 800kW solar array, which will supply a 400kW battery energy storage system which feeds the charge points.
Birmingham
A rapid charge point has been installed on the Bournville Village Trust (BVT) estate to support sustainable travel, through a partnership between the trust, Birmingham City Council and ESB Energy.
The 50kW charger is part of the local authority’s wider strategy to increase the number of charging points across the area and ensure environmentally sustainable places.
Arthur Tsang, Director of Communities at BVT, said: “The challenges facing our climate are well documented and residents have shared with us their concerns and asked what we are doing to support the move to reduce emissions and improve air quality.
“This rapid charger has the capability to provide a full charge to a car between 30-60 minutes and will be supplied by 100% renewable energy.
“Members of the community will be able to use the charging point, which is a small step to support the move towards more environmentally sustainable travel in the area.”
Staffordshire
Some £200,000 is due to be spent by Staffordshire Moorlands DC this year on installing electric vehicle charging points in car parks across the area.
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council said the project would allow for local residents to transition from ICE to electric vehicles as a result.
The move also forms part of the local authority’s tourism strategy since it reported that EV owners often plan trips around where it is possible to charge their EVs.
The scheme has been spearheaded by Councillor James Aberley, who was an early adopter and has owned electric vehicles since 2008 – alongside officers from the council.
Image courtesy of Birmingham City Council
