The largest-ever local authority roll-out of EV charging points in the UK has launched in West Sussex.
West Sussex County Council (WSCC), Adur and Worthing councils, Arun District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council and Mid Sussex District Council signed a contract last year with EV charging infrastructure solution provider Connected Kerb to install and maintain thousands of charging points across the county.
The project aims to deliver transformational improvements to EV provision in the region, providing better access to charging facilities, particularly to those without off-street parking.
According to WSCC, residents will be consulted over the locations of the charging points, including on streets, in public sector car parks and on community facilities across the county.
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Deborah Urquhart, cabinet member for environment and climate change, WSCC, said: “This is a milestone moment for the county as these chargepoints are the first of many to be installed across West Sussex, servicing residents’ electric vehicle charging needs.
“They offer people without off-street parking convenient and reliable charging as they will be sited both within car parks and on-street.
“We know that some residents have hesitated to make the switch to electric vehicles because of a lack of public chargepoints: we hope this launch will encourage them to reconsider, make the change and, in turn, have a positive impact on carbon emissions and air quality.”
Given the vast number of chargepoints to be installed, the roll-out will take place over the next decade. Connected Kerb is fully funding the project and will also manage and maintain the chargepoints on an ongoing basis.
Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb, said: “The challenge of scale is very real – no other council has undertaken this number of charging points in a single roll-out – but we are committed to ensuring that EV becomes accessible, sustainable and affordable for every EV user in the county.”
