The UK government has confirmed £1.8m in funding for the expansion of the West Sussex Chargepoint Network, which provides electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints for residents without off-street parking.
This funding round is intended to partially fund the installation of up to 450 on-street EV chargers and 100 in public car parks, with the remaining costs being subsidised by EV chargepoint company Connected Kerb.
The council hopes this grant will support the continued growth of the West Sussex Chargepoint Network, which is supported by West Sussex County Council, as well as all the districts and borough councils in the county.
Deborah Urquhart, County Council cabinet member for environment and climate change, said: “Electric vehicles allow travel without exhaust emissions and the associated negative impact on local air quality.
“Where coupled with renewable energy sources, they also help to decarbonise transport.
“This dovetails perfectly with our Council Plan, which is underpinned by a cross-cutting theme of tackling climate change.”
On the collaboration with the local authority, Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb, said: “We are delighted to be working with West Sussex County Council on this landmark project which will make EV charging more accessible for people without driveways and boost our efforts to support sustainable transport.”
Those interested in viewing some of the planned locations for new chargers can do so online, with the proposed sites expected to go through the Traffic Regulation Order statutory consultation in the next few weeks.
West Sussex County Council, Adur and Worthing Councils, Arun District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council and Mid Sussex District Council have all signed contracts with Connected Kerb to install and maintain thousands of new chargepoints across the county, at zero cost to the councils.
