County Durham secures funding for 100 electric vehicle charging points

Electric Vehicle charging point

A total of nine areas have been chosen for the funding, as part of the government pilot

Some 100 electric vehicle charging points are to be rolled out across County Durham after it secured £1.25m.

The region has the lowest number of facilities in the UK with 3.1% outlets, compared to London and the South East with 42.5%, Durham County Council said.

It is one of nine areas to get a share of a £20m from the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot.

Mark Wilkes, council lead for climate change, welcomed the funding boost as the scheme was “highly competitive”.

The charging points will include new infrastructure for people living in rural areas and households who have on-street parking, as well as larger petrol station-style charging hubs.

Overall more than a thousand new electric vehicle charging points will be built across England, ministers announced.

“The North East has only 3.1% of the UK’s charge points, the lowest of any British region, compared to London and the South East with 42.5%,” Mr Wilkes added.

“This funding will enable us to increase EV infrastructure and help bridge that gap.”

The council aims to achieve net zero in its operations by 2030 and make the county carbon neutral by 2045.

It is also in the process of creating 50 charge points through its Durham Other Charge Points project and will begin installing points through the new funding once complete.

The pilot is backed by £10m from the government, £9m from industry and £1.9m from local councils.

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source: yahoo.com