Electric car owners in Cheshire have been empowered with 29 new charging options.
Cheshire West and Chester Council announced that the number of charging points has been increased across the district.
This will allow owners to charge their electric vehicles in more places and areas where residents don’t have off-street parking.
A total of 29 new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations have been installed, which is also part of the council’s commitment to tackle the climate emergency and improve local air quality, a council spokesman said.
An electric charging station has been set up in Ellesmere Port
The community’s Canalside Operations Depot can fully charge up to 28 community electric vehicles overnight, and an additional pair of fast chargers will be available at the National Waterways Museum of the Canal and River Trust in Ellesmere Port.
These are fully charged in less than half an hour. In addition to servicing the community’s electric fleet, the Waterway Museum’s chargers will also be available to local businesses.
Council Vice-Chair and Cabinet Officer on the Environment, Highways and Strategic Transportation Councilor Karen Shore said, “The fast chargers at the Boat Museum are in a prime position for businesses along the M53, and our facilities in car parks can benefit local residents without either local facility Own driveway to install own charging facilities, as well as buyers and visitors.
“We are grateful for the financial support from the LEP and the OLEV and have once again enjoyed working with our partners to make this possible.”
The project was carried out by the city company Qwest Services in cooperation with the leading energy specialist ENGIE with funds from the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and a grant from the government office for low-emission vehicles (OLEV) together with match funding from the council.
Councilor Matt Bryan, Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency, added, “This is a positive step for Cheshire West and Chester to become a cleaner, greener district and shows the importance of the environment to the council in addressing the climate emergency.
“Our low-emission strategy aims to accelerate the spread of electric vehicles in the district.
“Battery electric vehicles produce no tailpipe emissions, which is important for people’s health, and our public charging stations are powered by 100% renewable sources.
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“Providing a good network of public charging stations across Cheshire West has been identified as critical to addressing this issue.”
The LEP funding created the Electric Charging Hub and the OLEV funding enabled charging in community-owned parking lots.
Electric vehicle drivers can now also charge their cars with two GeniePoint quick chargers with two sockets, which are installed and managed by ENGIE EV Solutions in each of the following parking spaces:
- Bishop Street Car Park – Chester
- Brook Street Car Park – Chester
- Shrewsbury Road Car Park – Ellesmere Port
- Moor Lane Parking Lot – Frodsham
- Chester Road Car Park – Neston
- Park Street Car Park – Northwich
These chargers are found in parking lots near areas where residents don’t have off-street parking. The cost of charging an electric vehicle will be very affordable to encourage people to switch.
Dee Humphries, Managing Director of ENGIE EV Solutions, said: “Local authorities are playing a vital role in helping the UK achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 with multiple EV charging options in the county.
“By improving the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles for community workers, local businesses and the general public, we hope to be able to further promote the acceptance of electric vehicles in the region – which brings us one step closer to achieving net CO2 emissions.”
Ben Cummins, general manager of Qwest Services, the community body responsible for the construction, said, “Qwest is proud to help the community council make the transition to a carbon-free economy. These charging points will allow residents and visitors to switch to electric vehicles with confidence. “
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