Fenland must 'redouble efforts' to improve electric vehicle charger rate
The district has one of the lowest provision rates in the country
One part of Cambridgeshire needs to improve its efforts if it is to catch up in providing for electric vehicles (EVs).
That's the view of electric vehicle parts firm EV Cables For You in Fenland which has one of the lowest public EV charging provision rates in the country.
Government data found that the district has 5.8 public EV charging points per 100,000 people in the Fens, a rate only higher than two other places nationally.
David Pearson, sales manager at EV parts firm EV Cables 4U in Wisbech, said it is vital to address the charger shortage.
“It’s critical; in Fenland, it’s a rural area so public transport isn’t great and not reliable enough for most people to use to get to work and back,” he said.
“It concerns me that Fenland is behind the rest of the country on chargers per head of population, so clearly, we need to redouble our efforts in this area to make sure we catch up.”
"It's critical for the future of EVs to get up to speed"
Cambridge recorded the most public EV charging points per 100,000 people in Cambridgeshire with a rate of 56.7, followed by South Cambridgeshire with 50.9.
And with the sale of all conventional petrol and diesel cars and vans due to stop from 2030, David, who owns an EV, said that overall EV charger provision needs to increase.
“It’s critical for the future of EVs that the whole country, as well as Fenland, get up to speed and put some investment into charging infrastructure,” he added.
“If we can get that right and get reliable charging infrastructure in place where it needs to be, I think that takes away that argument and concern for most people moving over to electric vehicles.
“There are grants and subsidies available to the local council to help them put this infrastructure in.
“So, there shouldn’t be a barrier to putting the infrastructure there and if they do it in the right way and places, they should be able to make them pay for themselves.”
Fenland District Council (FDC) said Cambridgeshire County Council, the local highways authority, is working on plans to develop on-street EV charging points.
“Fenland District Council continues to actively monitor opportunities for funded public EV infrastructure that wouldn’t require our residents to shoulder any cost,” said a FDC spokesperson.
“We remain committed to supporting our colleagues at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and Cambridgeshire County Council, which have responsibility for transport and highways, to meet any statutory requirements around EV infrastructure.”
The spokesperson added that it “remains our hope and expectation that other solutions will be forthcoming over how this kind of infrastructure is best delivered and funded nationally and locally, including via private investment.”