MORE than £700,000 has been pledged to increase the number of electric vehicle chargers in the region.
The new funding will help create public charging points to support residents in the Tees Valley without off-street parking.
The region will receive £720,000 in total from the Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, and comes after the region’s metro mayor Ben Houchen announced £2million to deliver 145 chargers in 32 public car parks, boosting their numbers by 75 per cent to 336.
This additional funding will allow for a greater number of chargers in 20 of the car parks selected, those in closer proximity to residential areas, and stretch the original funding across the wider region.
EB Charging Ltd has been procured to supply, operate and maintain the points.Work to install the first of these is set to start in May, starting a rolling programme which will see the first points operational this summer.
Read more: New electric vehicle charging station unveiled in County Durham town
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “In the past, electric car owners had been left behind with a massive lack of charging points, and the few that did exist were either inconvenient, hard to access or frequently broken down.
“This extra £720,000 will give an even bigger boost to our already extensive plans for the network, providing more reliable, accessible points right across the region and encourage even more people to make the switch.”
The nearest EV charging points to you can be found here.
Cllr Heather Scott, Tees Valley Combined Authority’s cabinet lead for transport, added: “The Tees Valley is once again leading the way in embracing new technology to help us meet ambitious decarbonisation targets while continuing to support a reliable and comprehensive transport network for residents and commuters.
“The additional funding for on-street EV charging points is to be welcomed and will further boost initiatives already under way to provide a comprehensive network of charging points around the region, which I hope will give drivers the confidence to consider low-carbon options in future.”
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