To help meet the growing demand in Brighton & Hove, the number of electric vehicle (EV) charging points is being expanded.
From next month, 100 new lamp post charging points and 20 new rapid chargers will be added.
This will bring the total number of points in the city to close to 500, with hundreds more to follow in the coming years thanks to a multimillion-pound grant.
Deployment will begin from March, starting with lamp post chargers.
Rapid devices will follow later in the spring or early summer, subject to Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) consultations.
The first batch of new chargers is being funded by a central government grant of over 440,000 pounds from Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
This grant will cover 60 per cent of the total cost, with electric vehicle charging operator Blink Charging covering the remaining 40 per cent.
However, this new rollout is just the tip of the iceberg.
Last month, the city received 2.865 million pounds from the government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund to support the installation of at least 1,650 new chargers over the next three years.
In addition to the current network, they will acquire new lamp post and rapid charging operators.
Authorities will consult with stakeholders and communities later this year to identify sites and gather feedback. They aim to install the first of the new chargers in early 2025.
Councillor Trevor Muten, Chair of the Transport and Sustainability Committee, says, “Brighton & Hove is really leading the way when it comes to providing future-proof electric vehicle infrastructure.”
“Providing thousands more electric vehicle charging points will also make a significant contribution to achieving the city’s net zero goals of stopping burning polluting fossil fuels, providing clean and affordable energy, and improving air quality,” he adds.
DVLA statistics show that there are currently almost 3,000 electric and hybrid vehicles registered in Brighton & Hove, with numbers increasing.
Independent research shows that 77 per cents of Brighton and Hove residents without off-street parking now live within a five-minute walk of a public charging point, one of the best rates in the country.
They currently have around 700 active requests from residents to install charging points near their homes and receive approximately 20 more each month.
The new lamp post chargers will be installed at locations based on these requests.
