Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has announced that its sustainable transport programme is picking up pace, with additional electric vehicle charging stations being planned for 2030.
The authority has made plans to install around 10,000 new electric vehicle chargers around the region by the beginning of the next decade, helping more drivers make the change to EVs. These charge points will be publicly accessible and will support those users that don’t have off-street parking.
Whilst the government has pushed back the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles to 2035, the council has continued with its plans of rolling out EV charging infrastructure 2030, with this recommendation originally coming from the 2021 Independent Commission on Climate.
A group of authorities that are collaborating on the project met this week, in order to explore the issues that will need to be addressed as widespread EV expansion is adopted. These challenges are:
- Technological solutions, adaptability, and futureproofing
- Business and commercial models
- Capacity for swift delivery at scale
- Ability to offer value for the community as part of the project
Councillor Anna Smith, Deputy Mayor of Cambridgeshire, and Peterborough, said:
“We have set ourselves a massive but achievable target and it is truly exciting to be delivering this for the entire area, for town and country, as well as for our cities.
“This is the start of a big journey. Getting accessible, available, and affordable hardware in place for residents, workers, and visitors in the region is the key to more sustainable transport. It will boost the big switchover from fossil-fuelled private cars and make possible more zero-emission bus and taxi fleets. It also helps protect our residents from high prices of petrol and diesel at the pumps and can improve air quality too.
“Our ambition needs innovation and partnership, an increase in the supply of electric passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and buses, coupled with widescale installation of rapid-charging points.”
As part of wider climate goals, the combined authority is also hosting a panel that will look into the requirements needed to implement EV charging infrastructure, with this panel coming as part of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Climate Partnership: The green future summit. This summit lets leaders, businesses, skills providers, and experts collaborate and identify progress that has already been made in climate change tackling ambitions.
Image credit: iStock
