More electric vehicle (EV) chargers for areas lacking off-street parking

Herefordshire is to share in nearly £1 million of Government funding to install more electric vehicle (EV) chargers into areas lacking off-street parking.

The county is one of five Midlands authorities which jointly applied for the £935,355 sum from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Pilot.

This is now expected to attract a further £2.8million of private sector investment, leading to 322 standard and 27 rapid public EV chargers being installed across the Midlands.

However, analysis by regional transport body Midlands Connect found that the Midlands will need 17,461 new public EV charging points by the end of 2025 to meet the needs of the growing EV market.

Increasing the number of public charging stations is intended to help drivers without off-road parking to make the switch to electric vehicles, while also increasing the ease of travel and charging for all EV users.

Cabinet member for infrastructure and transport Coun John Harrington said: “This successful bid means that we will be able to offer more electric charging facilities across the county.

“This will support our residents and business to make the shift to ultra-low emission vehicles, as part our strong commitment to addressing the climate and ecological emergency.”