WILTSHIRE Council’s cabinet has agreed to approve a new electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure plan, a decision that they say will help to reduce carbon emissions in the county and improve facilities for EV drivers by both upgrading what’s already in place and increasing the number of available chargers.
The council report, “The plan will ensure there are more EV chargers throughout the county that are identified by local communities and town, parish and city councils. It sets out the different types of charging in the county and how they will be improved over the next three years.
“In council car parks, every urban community with a population over 10,000 will have at least one council-sponsored public charge point, the current infrastructure will be replaced, users will pay a new charge of 35p per KwH, and the council will support commercial providers to add their own chargers.
“In terms of residential charging, the council will support city, town and parish councils to secure On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) grant funding for residential charge points on Wiltshire Council land with council grants of up to £2,500 per site. It is looking for partners to consider the installation of charging hubs, at central and out-of-town locations, and also adding more charge points to its own buildings so the council fleet can be converted to electric vehicles.
“The plan will also encourage businesses to install workplace charge points, and will ensure all charge points on council-owned land will be supplied with energy from 100% zero-carbon sources.”
Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for transport said, “This new strategy will greatly improve the EV charging infrastructure throughout Wiltshire.
“It will also enable local town, parish and city councils to identify suitable locations for chargers in their communities, which will allow them to apply for grant funding to install chargers where they are most needed.
“This infrastructure plan will play a significant role in reducing Wiltshire’s carbon emissions and in encouraging more people to make the move to electric vehicles, and we look forward to the chargers being installed in the near future.”
To find out more about EV charge points in Wiltshire, people should see www.wiltshire.gov.uk/green-economy/electric-vehicles; to read the full Cabinet report, people should see https://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=141&MId=13772
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