100 electric vehicle charging points coming to Suffolk
£300,000 is being spent on the charging points across rural Suffolk
£300,000 is being spent on 100 fast charging electric vehicle points by Suffolk County Council.
Parish and town councils, and non-profit organisations, in the county that are interested in receiving a fast charger will be contacted soon.
The money will cover the installation and set-up costs leaving little expense for the hosts.
This project is the first to benefit from the council’s Suffolk 2020 Fund, which was announced earlier this year. It is a £3m fund for the council’s own projects to bid into, which must help address its climate emergency declaration and improve Suffolk for all residents in years to come.
Councillor Richard Rout, Cabinet Member for Environment and Public Protection at Suffolk County Council, said:
“Ultra-low emission vehicle ownership has nearly trebled in the last three years in Suffolk and I want to this to continue by making it even more convenient to charge up across the county. I’d like to see fast charging points at our rural village halls, community buildings, sports clubs, places of worship and in small villages. We can now make this a reality and hopefully provide the host with a source of income too.
“If you look at a map of existing charging points in the county, there are big gaps – and one of the barriers to people switching to an electric vehicle is lack of confidence about finding a place to charge. This funding will help fill those gaps and give people that confidence. Once these charging points are installed, Suffolk will have one of the best rural charging networks in the country.
“We will be contributing to better air quality, reducing carbon emissions and cutting down our reliance on fossil fuels – all supporting our climate emergency declaration and ambition to create the greenest county.
“A better charging network can also help Suffolk economically. The UK’s electric vehicle owners can look fondly on Suffolk as an even more welcoming destination, as they will be able to charge their cars right across the county.”