A FEASIBILITY study is being launched into providing more electric vehicle charging points across the district.
Stratford District Council’s Cabinet approved funding for the study – in partnership with Warwick District Council – to help inform the future infrastructure for Electric Vehicle charging when they met on Monday March 6.
The cost of the study, which is expected to be around £40,000, will be shared equally between the two councils.
The study builds on the report considered last year which identified the number of charging facilities that may be required and will investigate how these could be implemented.
The two councils have been working with the Energy Savings Trust, and it is clear that there is high interest from providers who are looking to invest in the south Warwickshire area.
The feasibility study will consider a number of key issues including equity in provision – seeking to ensure that households without driveways could access convenient charging, and a joined-up approach with other initiatives across the south Warwickshire area, especially aligning with the ambition of Warwickshire County Council as Highways Authority.
A “portfolio approach”, will be considered to help more profitable locations subsidise a wider network of electric vehicle charging points across the more rural areas of south Warwickshire.
Insuring that the right speed of charger is in the right location and they are in well-lit spots will also form part of the study.
It is hoped that the study will be completed in the next four months and following this report both councils will procure a partner to rollout the infrastructure.
The government has approved a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, and hybrids vehicles by 2035. With this backdrop it is ever more important that there is the availability of charging facilities for electric vehicles.
SDC’s environment spokesman Coun Bill Fleming said: “Today’s decision by the Cabinet is an extremely important step towards making sure that the Electric Vehicle Charging infrastructure in the district is fit for the future. While I am very proud that the Stratford District Council area has more publicly available electric vehicle charging devices than any other district in the West Midlands and eighth nationally, there is always more that we can do.”
Following the receipt of the recommendations in the feasibility study it is anticipated that there will be a procurement exercise to select a preferred partner and that improvements to the network would start to be rolled out later this year.
