Buckinghamshire Council is set to increase electric vehicle (EV) charging access in areas across the county where there is little off-street parking available, after receiving £1.9m from the UK government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) capital fund.
LEVI aims to support those who cannot install their own chargepoints at home and so aims to enable more people to be able to make the switch to EVs.
There are currently 294 publicly-accessible EV chargepoints in Buckinghamshire, owned by various operators.
According to the council, the new LEVI-funded installation programme will be a step change and help the local authority to work toward its target of 1,000 publicly-accessible chargepoints in Buckinghamshire by the end of 2027, as set out in the council’s five-year action plan.
Steven Broadbent, cabinet member for transport, Buckinghamshire Council, said: “This funding will ensure the rollout continues at pace, with those without access to off-street parking benefiting hugely.
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“It will not only help us work towards reaching our target of 1,000 publicly-accessible EV charging spaces in the county by 2027, but it’s also another great example of the extent of the work we’re doing to tackle climate change here in Buckinghamshire.”
The new LEVI funding builds on the council’s Wendover EV charging trial that is currently underway and the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme funded chargepoints in 20 Buckinghamshire Council car parks, providing 160 EV-only charging spaces.
This year the council has also recruited two EV-focused officers to help continue to develop and deliver the projects.
Buckinghamshire residents and businesses with private parking can currently access funding support from the government via the Homecharge and Workplace Charging schemes.
Achievements and innovations in EV charging will be celebrated at the third annual CiTTi Awards, which will be held on 26 November 2024 at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Nominations officially open in March 2024. Please visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector.
