Figures released by Brighton City Council show good uptake for the city’s newest on-street EV charging points.
More than 200 lamppost chargers were installed over the summer following £300,000 in funding from the UK government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles and a £100,000 investment from operator Electric Blue.
During September and October, the first two months when all lamppost chargers were installed and operating, they were used 1,191 times, delivered 13,402kWh of energy and helped save approximately 11.1 metric tonnes in carbon emissions, according to the council.
A big increase in usage in October compared to September was also recorded, with the number of kWh up by 40% and the number of times the chargers were used up by 19%.
The council has now started recording data for three fast chargers in Ditchling Road, Islingword Road and Kings Road Car Park, and said it will share comparable data in the coming months.
Amy Heley, chair of the environment, transport and sustainability committee, Brighton City Council, said: “This is great news for our growing electric vehicle infrastructure and for those residents and visitors who have invested in electric or hybrid vehicles.
“We know that in order to meet our climate goals and improve air quality, we need to drastically reduce car use in our city. However, we also know that for those people who need drive in the city, having the right infrastructure in place is a big consideration for choosing whether or not to go electric.
“Our goal is to be a carbon neutral city by 2030. We move closer to achieving that ambitious target every time a petrol or diesel engine is replaced with an electric one.”
Local residents and visitors can find their nearest charging point by downloading the Electric Blue app to their mobile phones.
Charging currently costs 26p per kw/h for lamppost chargers, 27p per kw/h for fast and rapid chargers and are powered by renewable energy.
Brighton City Council will receive 1p per kw/h in year one, increasing to 4p per kw/h in year four, which can be reinvested in more charge points.
