Plan for hundreds of electric vehicle charging points in Cumbria

A total of £1.4m from the Department for Transport is being topped up by almost £500,000 from private charge point installers and operators. 

Cumbria County Council (CCC) says up to 780 7kw charge points are to be installed within streetlights or new charging bollards along highways. 

"This will include some ‘destination chargers’ where limited parking bays would enable charging for multiple users," said a spokesman.

"The remaining 120 charge points, which will also be 7kw, will mostly be in existing local-authority-owned car parks.

"If the UK is to reach its net zero target, we need to radically reduce our use of fossil fuels."

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Cllr Keith Little, CCC's cabinet member for highways and transport, said the funding would help to facilitate the 'mass uptake' of electric vehicles.

"There has often been the argument that this uptake must wait for the widespread expansion of charging infrastructure," he said. 

"However, acknowledging this ‘cart and horse’ conundrum, this project is about proving that, to facilitate change, we need a suitably expanding charge point network that paves the way for the future.”

In 2020, the Government announced its intention to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK by 2030.

Phil Gray, project manager at Cumbria's electric vehicle partnership, made up of different organisations across the county, said Cumbria would be 'ahead of the curve' in providing accessible charge points for residents and visitors.

A free event is being held by the electric vehicle partnership in conjunction with Electricity North West at Keswick's pencil factory on March 14. The event is targeting Cumbria businesses and will offer expert advice from industry leaders on how to 'reduce costs and reduce carbon emissions'.

People can visit tinyurl.com/436cubsw to book tickets.