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30
Mar 2022
Harrogate district among worst prepared areas for electric cars, says study
The Harrogate district has been revealed as one of the worst prepared areas in the UK for the electric car revolution.
New research shows the district places fourth among the least ready regions, with just one charging point for every 134 electric or hybrid cars.
This comes as more and more motorists across the nation are making the switch to electric as the government’s ban on sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 is now less than a decade away.
Harrogate has seen rapid growth in the number of electric vehicles on its roads, with more than York or any other district in North Yorkshire.
However, the district’s charging infrastructure is lagging behind and there is now pressure on local authorities to speed up their offering in order to support efforts to tackle climate change.
Harrogate Borough Council – which has admitted the district’s charging point numbers are “some way behind” neighbouring areas such as York and Leeds – has set an aim to get 10,000 electric vehicles on the roads by 2023.
It said in a statement that it has installed charging points at several council-owned locations and that it plans to roll out 60 more within the next five years.
The borough council said:
Harrogate Borough Council is responsible for areas including off-street parking and planning, and said all new housing developments are equipped with charging points along with a dedicated electric circuit.
Read more:
- Harrogate council awards £280,000 electric vehicle contract to London firm
- Locations of 34 electric vehicle charge points revealed
- Harrogate businesses go electric as number of cars licensed doubles
On-street parking is the responsibility of North Yorkshire County Council which said it recognised the urgency of improving electric car infrastructure, but added it wanted “take the time needed to ensure we find the correct solutions to ensure everyone has convenient access”.
It said a charging point study is currently underway and will involve a public consultation to ask residents for their views.
Karl Battersby, corporate director for business and environmental services at the county council, said:
Mr Battersby added:
The research which shows Harrogate places fourth among the least ready regions is from insurance group esure. It found the district comes behind only Slough, Swindon and Stockport which is the worst prepared place with 448 electric and hybrid vehicles having to share each charger.
The figures also show it’s 3.5 times harder to find a charger in Harrogate than in York which has made better progress with one charging point for every 38 vehicles.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, London comes out on top as the best prepared area with only four cars per each charger.
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