North Yorkshire is set to receive 140 new chargepoints for electric vehicles under a scheme announced today by the Department for Transport.
The county’s seven districts, including Harrogate, will each get 20 chargers.
The chargepoints will installed at on-street locations and at larger petrol-station charging hubs.
It is hoped the move will give drivers without home chargers more confidence to switch to electric, and reduce ‘range anxiety’ among existing electric vehicle users by helping to ensure motorists are never far from a chargepoint.
North Yorkshire County Council was awarded the funding today.
The council previously suggested that Markington, Pateley Bridge and Conyngham Hall in Knaresborough could receive new chargepoints in the Harrogate district. But it has yet to confirm the locations after today’s news.
Councillor Greg White, the council’s executive member for climate change, welcomed the funding. He said:
“The switch to electric vehicles is necessary as North Yorkshire moves towards becoming carbon zero, but the rural nature of the county presents some significant challenges.
“We worked hard to come up with an innovate scheme which will begin to provide the answers motorists need if they are to have the confidence to go electric.”
The chargers are part of the new Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme where the council and industry work in partnership.
Companies are putting £200,000 towards the scheme.
The council will install more electric chargers (photo: Andrew Roberts/Unsplash)
Harrogate currently has six public charging points – though the type and number of charging points varies between each station.
Knaresborough currently has two charging points whilst Ripon has four.
National plans
North Yorkshire is one of the first nine areas to receive funding.
A total of £20 million has been allocated for the pilot scheme nationally.
The government plans to eventually invest £450 million into the scheme nationwide.
It intends to grow the network of charging points around the country with more than 1,000 new charging stations set to be installed.
Decarbonisation minister Trudy Harrison said:
“We want to expand and grow our world-leading network of EV chargepoints, working closely with industry and local government, making it even easier for those without driveways to charge their electric vehicles and support the switch to cleaner travel.”
