Midlands Connect has announced the launch of a new electric vehicle planning tool, with the aim of revolutionising the installation of public charging points, as the nation continues its push towards the full adoption of EVs.
The tool has been developed for local authorities across the midlands and will analyse data about local residents, their lives, and their behaviours to pinpoint sites where new chargers should be erected.
Matt Pain from Midland Connect, the developers of the tool, said:
“It’s really important that we support local authorities as they ramp up the installation of public electric vehicle chargers. This tool will make it easier for councils to identify sites where investment is needed most and will have the biggest positive impact. Public charge points don’t just belong in the most affluent areas, or those areas where electric vehicle take up is already booming, we need to ensure that no part of the midlands region is left behind, and that councils are able to step in and delvier in communities where the private sector is unlikely to intervene.
With this data in hand, I hope that the Midlands’ local authorities can make an even more compelling case to Government for support as we look to speed up the decarbonisation of our transport network.”
Areas with less off-road parking, patchy public transport links and areas of higher deprivation are all the main focuses for this tool, with local authorities able to identify areas where there is less of a commercial case for chargers, so they may need to step in and fund the infrastructure themselves.
Midlands Connect have also conducted analysis that shows the Midlands’ requirement for around 17,461 new public electric vehicle charge points by 2025 in order to keep pace with the increasing demand. By the end of the decade, it is anticipated that one in every four cars will be electric, especially with the banning of the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles from 2030.
