New charge points and electric vehicles as green revolution revs up

The first chargepoints have been put in place at Quayside car park, near Shire Hall, and coverage may be extended to include 37 sites run by the county council to include fire stations, libraries and highways depots.

The new chargepoints installed have been joined by six new Nissan Leaf electric vehicles to be used by the council’s Edge of Care team, who provide support for children and young people, and replace their more polluting equivalent vehicles.

As part of the plan and subject to approved funding, further chargepoints will be installed over the next three years, to ensure a new fleet of electric vehicles is able to be charged at locations across the council network.

The move comes ahead of the government banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030, so the county council is committed to removing its older, more polluting vehicles. In September cabinet agreed plans to replace 41 cars and vans used by Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service.

The transition to remove the council’s older, more polluting vehicles and replace with electric vehicles supports the county council’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions from all sources in the county to net zero by 2045 and to reduce emissions by 80 per cent by 2030.

Plans are also moving forward to install on-street electric vehicle charging points across the county over the next three years for residents to access.

The county council has appointed Connected Kerb to install and run the network of 1,000 chargers, to prioritise access to charging points for the one third of residents who do not have off-street parking and charging. This will help Gloucestershire to reduce the impact of transport on our climate and improve local air quality.

The first ones will be installed later this year and residents can share their views on where they think the charging points should be located by registering their interest.

Cllr David Gray, cabinet member for environment and planning, said: “The county council is committed to leading efforts in the county to address the climate emergency and help create a greener Gloucestershire. Switching our own vehicle fleet to electric is just one example of that leadership in action.

“Electric vehicles significantly reduce carbon emissions, as well as offer savings in fuel and maintenance costs. The new chargepoints at council sites, as well as the public ones being rolled out this year, will make it easier to switch over to EVs by making charging more accessible.”