Oxfordshire County Council press release on its news page
The introduction of hundreds of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in urban car parks in Oxfordshire has begun.
Following the installation of the first park-and-charge electric hub in the parking lot of the Cattle Market in Bicester in May, the locations of the remaining 19 locations were announced. Work started earlier this month and is expected to be completed by March 2022.
The park-and-charge program enables residents who do not have any off-street parking to park overnight free of charge and charge them at a “fast” 7-22 kW charging point for electric vehicles. The chargers will also provide much-needed battery charges for commuters and visitors during the day.
The project is being carried out by a consortium of partners including Oxfordshire County Council, the University of Oxford, Urban Integrated UK and the Bicester company Zeta Lighting, which operates the EV charging service under the trade name EZ-Charge. Cherwell, West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse County Councils also support the program and host the electric vehicle charging stations.
Alderman Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member on Climate Change and the Environment, said: “Many city councils have asked residents who don’t have off-street parking to charge their electric vehicles, and we in the district council know that we need to speed up various solutions to this problem. Parking and charging is an important part of Oxfordshire’s EV strategy in helping people move away from diesel and gasoline vehicles. “
The locations that should benefit from parking and charging stations, each with 10 to 16 charging points for electric vehicles, are:
- Claremont Car Park, Bicester
- Curtis Place Parking Lot, Kidlington
- Parking garages Windsor Street and Calthorpe Street West in Banbury
- Woodford Way car park in Witney
- Black Bourton car park in Carterton
- Hensington Road Parking Lot, Woodstock
- Back Lane Parking Lot, Eynsham
- New Street Parking Lot, Chipping Norton
- Cattlemarket and Goldsmiths Lane car parks in Wallingford
- Parking on Kings Road and Grays Road in Henley
- Southern Road Parking Lot, Thame
- West St Helens, Audlett Drive and Cattle Market car parks in Abingdon
- Portway parking lot in Wantage
- Southampton Road car park in Faringdon.
Councilor Sue Cooper, South Oxfordshire County Councilor for Environment, Climate Change and Natural Recreation, said: “This is great news for residents as they have access to 62 new chargers across the district. This could be what differentiates Thame, Wallingford, and Henley residents to switch to electric vehicle ownership knowing they have easy access to charging points. Participation in this project also shows the Council’s determination to take action to address the climate emergency that we are prioritizing as part of our business plan. “
Councilor Catherine Webber, Vale of White Horse District Council Cabinet Member for Environmental and Climate Emergency, said: “We are happy to have so many EV charging points in our parking lots across Vale. It should really help those who want to switch to electric vehicles but live in city centers like Abingdon, Faringdon, and Wantage and have street parking that can make it difficult to access the store. More chargers should mean more people can switch to cleaner travel. “
Councilor Dan Sames, senior member of the Cherwell County Council for Clean and Green, said: “The groundbreaking electric vehicle charging project has exceeded expectations and usage continues to grow. We look forward to expanding the project and adding more charging stations within Cherwell. The added bonus is that we use local technology developed by a Bicester-based company. “
Alderman David Harvey, West Oxfordshire County Councilor’s Cabinet Member on Climate Change, said: “With traffic emissions being the largest contributor to greenhouse gases and air pollution in the district, switching to electric vehicles is a hugely important step in meeting our local and national net zero targets. The good news is that recent statistics suggest that one in six cars sold has a plug. We’re excited to partner with the Park and Charge project in Oxfordshire, which will install more EV charging stations across the county and here in West Oxfordshire, making it even easier for residents and businesses to switch to ultra-low-carbon vehicles. “
According to data modeling from the University of Oxford, one in five cars on the streets of Oxfordshire will be electric by 2030.
The £ 5.4million program is among the first of its kind in the UK and is funded by the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles through Innovate UK and the government’s On-Street Residential Charging Scheme.
Transport Secretary Trudy Harrison said: “Providing an accessible and reliable charging infrastructure is fundamental to our mission to achieve net zero. I am delighted that Oxfordshire County Council has received funding through our £ 20m scheme for On-Street Residential Chargepoints and I hope this will give the region a boost to become greener and give drivers the all-important switch on electric vehicles. “
Please visit the Park and Charge website for more information on this program.
