Strategy to boost charging points for electric vehicles backed

Strategy to boost charging points for electric vehicles backed

A strategy to support the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, helping everyone in the region to reliably recharge conveniently, has been approved.

The Combined Authority’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee supported the strategy at its meeting on Wednesday (Sep 18), while also hearing about progress on a bid to Government for £5.4 million to build more charging points in support of the plan. The Combined Authority Board will make a final decision on whether to adopt the strategy.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy developed in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council, sets several objectives including to:

• Enable and deliver public EV charging across the Combined Authority region including on-street and at key places to support those who rely on public EV charging.
• Enable residents without access to private off-road parking to access a range of options for EV charging.
• Encourage new developments to include high quality EV charging infrastructure.
• Support and influence commercial locations to deliver EV charging infrastructure.
• Set standards for the quality of public EV charging across the Combined Authority area which supports development of a network which is high quality, open and accessible.

The strategy was developed following feedback from local stakeholders and from the public in aN electric vehicle charging survey. It includes a detailed action plan to implement the strategy including the goal to have 80 percent of homes in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough without off-street parking to conveniently recharge their vehicle or be within a five-minute walk to a public charge-point.

In 2023 the Government launched the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Capability Fund for Local Authorities across England to drive plans to increase charging capacity in their regions. The funding will help Local Authorities to work with private business and charge-point operators to grow charging availability and be ambitious in charge-point plans. The Government has outlined a £5.4 million allocation for the Combined Authority under the LEVI fund.

A particular focus of the LEVI fund is to tackle the issue of people who don’t have off-street parking or garages to conveniently charge their vehicles. The development and delivery of on-street charging points is a core goal of the fund. A first draft of the business case for the £5.4 million has been put to Government by the Combined Authority in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council. The Combined Authority has received feedback from Government and will be developing the case further.

Cllr Anna Smith said: “Electric vehicles offer significant benefits, from cleaner air to zero tailpipe emissions, and play a crucial role in our plan to move the region toward low-carbon transport. However, the transition to EVs depends not just on increasing the number of charging points, but on ensuring they are strategically located. Our focus is on making charging accessible for everyone, particularly for those without private drives or garages. Securing government LEVI funding will be part of our strategy to accelerate the rollout of charging infrastructure, empowering more people to make the switch to electric vehicles.”