City gears up for a green and healthier future with rollout of charging points

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is continuing its drive towards greener, cleaner and healthier roads with the installation of six more public Electric Vehicle (EV) charging sockets in the city.

The new chargers are situated across three residential locations:

•             Hawes Street off-street car park, Tunstall

•             Clarence Street car park, Fenton

•             Stoke Old Road community car park, Hartshill

One 7kw charger will be operational at each venue, providing two charging sockets. More charging points are scheduled for deployment throughout the summer.

The council is continuing to expand its cross-pavement charging facilities, with 27 ‘charge at home’ devices now fitted outside the residential properties of EV drivers lacking private off-street parking. A further 59 applications have been approved for installation.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and regeneration at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “The way people travel is changing, and Stoke-on-Trent can’t afford to be left behind.

“Whether people choose to drive an electric vehicle today or ten years from now, we need to make sure the infrastructure is in place so that local residents aren’t missing out on the opportunities and lower running costs that come with new technology.

“These new charging points are another step forward in making electric vehicle charging more accessible, particularly for residents who don’t have access to a driveway or private parking.

“This investment sits alongside our decision to support a new fleet of electric buses for the city, helping modernise our transport network and ensure Stoke-on-Trent is ready for the future.

“We’re securing investment, improving infrastructure and making sure local people benefit from the changes taking place across the transport sector, rather than seeing them happen elsewhere.”

The council is using £525,080 of government money from the Office of Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) to deliver up to 400 cross-pavement solutions. These are effectively gullies which run across pavements, allowing residents to charge from within their homes without obstructing the walkway.

This funding complements the £2.4 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funding package that OZEV granted the city council earlier this year, which will pay for accessible public charging infrastructure in areas with limited private off-street parking.

Anyone wanting to find out more about the charging gullies - or wanting to start the application process for installing one - should email the council’s EV Team at: LEVI@stoke.gov.uk 

To recommend any locations across the city for the installation of public charging infrastructure, whether on street or in public car parks, people can email comments to LEVI@stoke.gov.uk.