Eleven new electric vehicle charge points are now available in Carlisle, as Carlisle City Council works to make the city more accessible for electric vehicle drivers.
The challenge
Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe more than doubled in 2020 despite the general slump in overall car sales over the coronavirus pandemic. This is in part due to the Government’s upcoming ban on sales of all new petrol/diesel cars in 2030, but also because of the increasing choice that car owners are making towards switching to electric vehicles.
The vast majority of EV drivers charge their car overnight and this is a problem for anyone who doesn’t have off-street parking, such as a driveway or garage. This means that drivers who live in terraced housing or flats will need to rely on different solutions and one of these will be the expansion of the network of publicly available charge points.
The City Council, in partnership with a number of other organisations has been awarded funding to install EV charge points at locations around the district. The full project is funded by Innovate UK and has been allocated a total of £3.4m for sites across the north of England. The proposed EV charge points, and other associated equipment where appropriate, will be installed in residential areas where no off-street parking is available for residents on their own property.
The solution
The project has seen the installation of charge points at 11 sites within Carlisle city centre and the surrounding area, with a further 11 planned over the coming months. Each charge point has the facility to charge two cars simultaneously.
Watch the video: Carlisle City Council installs 11 new charge points across the city centre
The impact
The more public charge points there are, the more people who don’t have driveways or other off-street parking will feel confident about the ability to switch to an electric vehicle without the fear they might end up with a dead battery due to the lack of charging facilities.
How is the new approach being sustained?
Charge My Street’s programme to install around 200 new charge points across the UK by the end of October 2021 is supported by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. The programme is led by Charge My Street, working with a range of local authorities, including Carlisle City Council and South Lakeland District Council, as well as community and industry partners.
Charge my Street is a Cumbrian/Lancaster based Community Benefit Society which finances, installs and operates electric charge points working with local communities. Their aim is for a charge point to be within five minutes’ walking distance from every house which needs one.
Lessons learned
Local organisations and partnerships can access central government funding and apply this funding to council assets, for the benefit of the local community.