Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council have announced that new electric vehicle charge points have been installed in the area, with more to come as they move to combat the effects of petrol and diesel travel in the district.
The first phase of the new infrastructure involves three new chargers being put in place in Earl Shilton, whilst a further eight more to come in Market Bosworth and Barwell in the coming months. The chargers will be installed in council-owned car parks and will compliment the 12 twin charging points that are already in use in Hinckley.
Cllr Stuart Bray, Council Leader, said;
“We are pleased to see this charge point now in use – we’ve already seen many electric vehicle drivers using them. It is important to us that the council provides the essential infrastructure needed to encourage more car owners in the borough to choose electric vehicle over petrol and diesel equivalents.
“The new charge points we’re installing are located in key villages in the borough, making driving an electric vehicle easier than ever. Travel is one of the biggest contributors to our borough’s carbon footprint, so, as part of our response to the climate and ecological emergency, it’s vital we make the changes needed to help tackle this.”
The chargers come at a cost of £82,5000, with funding being allocated by the Office of Low Emissions, as part of the government’s project to increase the infrastructure on offer to EV drivers as we move closer to the 2030 deadline for the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles.
Executive Member for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Cllr Martin Cartwright, said:
“It’s been great to see so many drivers using this new charge point. We hope that it encourages even more electric vehicle usage as we look to lower Hinckley and Bosworth’s carbon footprint even further.”