Visitors and residents in market towns in North Yorkshire will benefit from new electric charging points for vehicles in the latest phase of a roll-out of the technology across the county.
Two rapid chargers have each been installed at Cleveland Way car park in Helmsley, Water Lane car park in Malton and Eastgate car park in Pickering.
Funded by Zest – one of the UK’s fastest-growing EV charging infrastructure networks – the chargers are now available to use.
The installation has been paid for by Zest, with Zest setting the tariff, and North Yorkshire Council taking a percentage of the revenue generated.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Cllr Keane Duncan, said:
We’re delighted to partner with Zest and for them to deliver these rapid chargers in Helmsley, Malton, and Pickering on our behalf.
As the electric vehicle market continues to rise, the demand for charging points will also grow and it’s important that we are prepared for that.
By making more available across the county, we are making it easier for people to charge their electric vehicles and also ensure we remain a destination of choice for visitors with these vehicles.
The six charging points will charge a vehicle to approximately 80 per cent in less than an hour, enabling motorists to continue to go about their day after visiting one of the market towns.
The next phase of the project will see charging facilities installed in Ropery, Pickering, in the coming weeks.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for climate change, Cllr Greg White, said:
Like all local authorities, we recognise the impact of climate change and remain committed to playing our part to help tackle this global issue.
We know we can’t do this alone, and by working together with partners such as Zest to provide a comprehensive network of electric vehicle charging, we are a step closer to achieving our targets for reducing carbon emissions and protecting our environment.
North Yorkshire Council has adopted a new county-wide strategy to make electric vehicle charging available to all. It is hoped an enhanced network of charging points will support the uptake of electric vehicles over the next 10 years and help to tackle climate change.
Demand for charging points is expected to soar within the next decade as motorists switch to electric vehicles ahead of a ban on petrol and diesel engines in new vehicles from 2030.
The chief executive officer of Zest, Robin Heap, said:
These high-quality chargers inject vitality to rural towns, making it easier to switch to electric vehicles, attract new visitors and encourage businesses to invest. North Yorkshire Council is backing its ambitious strategy with bold action, and we are proud they chose to work with Zest.
As part of its commitment to boost the local economy, Zest appointed Yorkshire contractors, Jones Electric, to carry out the installation.
Latest figures show there are almost 4,000 electric vehicles registered in North Yorkshire, and 225 publicly available charge points, and take-up of electric vehicles is rising rapidly each year.
Council officers forecast that 3,161 charge points will be needed by 2030, of which half will need to be funded by the public sector at an estimated cost of £10.3 million.
A bid for funding from the £400 million national Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme saw £3.2 million secured for North Yorkshire, which will pay for 150 charge points. Seventy of these will be linked to renewable energy systems designed to offset some or all of the energy requirement to power the electric vehicle charging point units.
