City to roll out 400 new charging points for cars
NEARLY 400 new electric vehicle charging points will be rolled out across Birmingham over the next two years, it has been announced.
In an attempt to cut carbon emissions across the city, 394 ‘fast and rapid’ charge points will be installed by 2022.
The initial project will focus on the city centre in an attempt to support the electrification of Birmingham’s taxi fleet, though they will also be accessible to the general public and local businesses. Earlier this year it was revealed there are more electric vehicle charging points in the City of Westminster than in the entire West Midlands, with Birmingham scoring particularly poorly with a figure of 8.7 charging points per 100,000 of the population.
However it now appears the council is taking steps to address the issue in line with its announcement of a ‘climate emergency’ last year, with portfolio holder for the environment and transport, Councillor Waseem Zaffar, pointing to the impact it could have on air quality in the city.
He said: “This is huge news for our city, and a major step in supporting our climate emergency commitment to cut carbon emissions.
“What’s more, it will be a key driver in supporting the electrification of Birmingham’s taxi fleet which is a major step in us improving air quality in the city centre.
“This is a complete overhaul of our electric vehicle offering and I’m looking forward to seeing the first charging points being installed later this year.”
Locations for the charging points will be chosen based on local demand, with the council working with company ESB EV Solutions ‘‘to develop and deliver a complete charging strategy for the next 12 years’’ after rollout of the initial 394. Niall Hogan, head of ESB EV Solutions, said: “We are delighted to partner with Birmingham City Council to provide a public charging network for electric vehicle drivers throughout the city.
“Having worked with Transport for London and Coventry City Council, we can see the huge benefit of building a sustainable future for our cities. We look forward to supporting Birmingham and all of its citizens as they transition to low carbon motoring.”