County’s £2.7m for charging stations for electric vehicles in key work zones

MILLIONS OF pounds have been earmarked for installing hundreds of electric-vehicle charging stations across South Yorkshire.

Sheffield City Region plans to install 197 fast chargers and a further 32 rapid chargers across the county.

The project, listed under proposed major capital schemes, is expected to cost £2.7m and is part of a wider cash injection from central government of £33.6m.

The charging points will be rolled out predominantly in urban centres and “key employment locations” across the region.

The investment is aimed to coincide with an increase in electric vehicle purchases and to lower the carbon footprint of the region.

Sheffield City Region wants to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.

A report will go to the mayoral combined authority meeting on

July 27, seeking approval of the funding.

Leaders will also approve the process aiming to accelerate bringing forward business cases for the fast and rapid chargers over the next 18 months.

Last month the Government launched A New Deal for Britain, which it set out as the first steps in stimulating the economy following the Covid-19 pandemic.

As part of the strategy, £73.6m of funding has been allocated to Sheffield City Region for supporting “immediately deliverable” schemes and to support the development of housing schemes on brownfield land. The electriccharging investment falls into this tranche of funding.

Colin Blackburn, assistant director of housing, infrastructure and planning, said: “This would make an important contribution to encouraging the acceleration in the decarbonisation of transport by providing the electric vehicle infrastructure to give confidence to would-be electric vehicle owners and users to invest in and use electric vehicles.

“The reduction in the use of diesel and petrol vehicles will reduce the carbon footprint and improve air quality.”