Stockport Council agrees deal with Be.EV

Charging network Be.EV and Stockport Council have signed a £15 million deal to allow 100 electric vehicles (EVs) to be charged at the same time.

The deal will mean improved access to charging across the community as the sites are spread across 20 locations.

Residents will benefit from a share of the revenue from the charge points, which will take two weeks to install and be operational by the end of the year.

In some cases, the work will build upon existing Be.EV chargers to create more capacity and faster charging. The work is also future-proofed to allow for further expansion – depending on usage.

The chargers are available to all but Be.EV members can access a discounted rate. Ownership will be retained by the council with chargers installed and managed by Be.EV.

The scheme will cost around £8m to install the 54 rapid and ultra rapid chargers with operational costs of £7m over the next 10 years. Chargers will be powered by renewable energy from Octopus Energy.

Be.EV CEO Asif Ghafoor said: “Stockport Council has taken a well thought out intelligent approach to providing EV chargers. It is a great example of how the public sector can partner with the private.

“The council wants to deliver cleaner air and they have found these sites for EV chargers. It is our job now to bring the expertise and the commercial incentive to make them fabulous. They are the first step in helping the borough and its residents hit their green targets while bringing a financial benefit as well.

“We want other councils to sit up and take notice of this gold standard development or they will be left behind.”

Cllr Mark Roberts, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “The whole of the Stockport, including the council, residents and businesses, must make big changes to reduce our emissions now so that we stop contributing to climate change and providing this infrastructure will help us on that challenging journey.

“Installing more electric vehicle chargers is a key element for the council with regards to its commitment to taking action on climate change as we aim for Stockport to be carbon neutral by 2038.

“Not only that, EV ownership is growing in Stockport and Greater Manchester and this is really great news that we are installing, in partnership with Be.EV, more chargers across the borough in a range of different locations that will benefit our residents.”

Image courtesy of Be.EV

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