Ambitious plans to roll out more electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints across Leicestershire have taken a major step forward.
The county council is part of a consortium, along with four other authorities, which has secured almost £1m of Government funding to install public chargepoints across the Midlands.
County councillors recently approved a new strategy for EVs and in collaboration with chargepoint operator Wenea, work can start on delivering new chargepoints at on-street locations across the county as part of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot project.
Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, county council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “With EV ownership growing rapidly in Leicestershire, we need a chargepoint network that can keep up. Many of our residents don’t have access to a driveway – but this shouldn’t be a barrier to making the switch to electric.
“Working with Wenea to roll out an innovative on-street chargepoint network which meets the needs of our communities is a huge step forward in the council’s journey towards a carbon neutral future.”
This work will be carried out in collaboration with Wenea, who will provide a complete charging system, starting from network design and deployment through to operation of the charging infrastructure. It will be Leicestershire’s first public on-street EV charging infrastructure.
The project’s main aim is making EV charging accessible to a wider range of residents within the county, especially to those without access to off-street parking. Chargepoints will be strategically placed to best serve the needs of local communities and meet growing demand, based on feedback from residents and careful research.
A roll-out of chargepoints is planned from 2025 onwards, with more detail on locations to be released closer to the time.
For information on the latest developments, residents can visit our website: www.leicestershire.gov.uk/electric-vehicles-ev