Warwickshire to get 'dramatic increase' in number of electric vehicle charging points

Warwickshire will be a ‘dramatic increase’ in the number of electric vehicle (EV) charging points after an allocation of millions of pounds of Government funding.

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) has been allocated almost £3.3 million from Tranche 1 of the Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Capital Fund, which is made available to regions so that they can increase the number of EV charging points in their area.

Based on current estimates, this funding will allow for the installation of 2,000 charging sockets at both on-street and in car park locations.

WCC has already begun its discussions with district and borough councils to identify suitable sites.

Alongside this work, the WCC is also working with private sector partners to co-ordinate the installation of many more publicly available charging points throughout Warwickshire, especially in those parts of the county where charge-point delivery has so far been slower.

The Council is also carrying out a trial to allow home-charging on terraced streets through the use of cable protectors, which forms a part of its commitment to providing a range of charging options that address the needs of anyone wanting to switch to an electric vehicle in Warwickshire. This new guidance can be found here: https://shorturl.at/htzIS

Councillor Jan Matecki, WCC’s portfolio holder for transport and planning said: “This is fantastic news for everyone in Warwickshire who owns an electric vehicle or is thinking of buying one.

"This successful application for the earliest LEVI funding tranche demonstrates our firm commitment to encourage and facilitate a switch to electric vehicles as part of our on-going efforts to tackle climate change and to improve the health of our residents.

“We know that more people are keen to move away from fossil-fuel powered vehicles and that our role in this important shift is to provide increased charging infrastructure that makes this switch both possible and desirable.

"This funding is an important next step that enables us to do that.”

To find out more about electric vehicle charging in Warwickshire visit https://shorturl.at/BNR16