Norfolk County Council has announced that charging solutions provider EB Charging has been awarded a contract to install on-street chargepoints for electric vehicles (EVs) across Norwich.
The contract covers the installation, supply and operation of 46 new chargepoints on 40 streets across Norwich in alignment with the goals set out in the authority’s Electric Vehicle and Local Transport Plan four strategies. The streets were selected based on the results of a feasibility study conducted by UK Power Networks.
What’s more, the new EV chargers will be available to all members of the public, in order to bolster the availability of affordable charging infrastructure across the region, especially to residents who cannot access off-street parking.
Graham Plant, councillor and cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: “Norfolk County Council is committed to a greener and cleaner future and we have a leading role to play in reducing our carbon footprint through cutting the dependence on motor transport that runs on fossil fuels.
“We know from research that a lack of charging points is one of the top barriers to people making the transition to electric vehicle, and we hope that this programme will support more people in the Norwich area to make the change to electric.
“This is a fantastic collaborative project which will allow us to make a huge improvement to infrastructure for our residents a minimal cost to the taxpayer thanks to EB Charging who will fully fund the installation and ongoing maintenance of the charge points, and UK Power Networks who have supported us from the start of this project to identify locations and ensured the electricity grid can support these new charge points.”
Some on-street parking restrictions next to the chargepoints will be reviewed by the council to allow electric vehicles to access them.
These will be decided at design stage and any changes to parking restrictions will be subject to statutory consultation with residents, the council has said.
Norfolk County Council will collaborate with EB Charging on the design stage of the project and will engage with residents to ensure impact of installation works is minimised, where possible.
Alex Calnan, managing director of EB Charging, said: “We’re really excited to be working with Norfolk County Council on this ambitious project to dramatically increase the availability of EV charging options across Norwich.
“Working with UK Power Networks, they’ve ensured sufficient power supply for current and future charging needs, making switching to EVs a realistic option for residents, businesses and visitors.
“This will provide a real boost to the council’s programmes to improve air quality across Norwich and the wider region.”
Chargers currently under consideration include floor-mounted 22kW fast chargers and 50-100kW rapid chargers.
