Cornwall Council will receive funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for £2.9m to cover the installation of more than 150 electric vehicle charge points. This means there will be 360 available chargers in Cornwall by 2023.
These new units will be installed in areas where there’s currently limited availability, as well as in council car parks and offices. This will make charge point access for residents much easier as they make the switch to electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Edwina Hannaford, Cornwall Council cabinet member for climate change, said: “With road transport accounting for 22% of Cornwall’s carbon footprint, reducing it needs to be a focus of our activity.
“We have to reduce the number of miles we drive independently and the type of vehicles we use to get around. Travel in Cornwall isn’t as easy as in major cities where public transport is more readily available. But with electric vehicles becoming more widely available, we have to increase the infrastructure to support them and help people make the switch.”
Cornwall Council is contributing £725,000 to top up the £2.9m in funding. This will ensure residents have access to a local charging infrastructure that will streamline the transition to more environmentally-friendly vehicles.
Hannaford said: “I hope to see more electric vehicles on Cornwall’s roads in the coming years to help Cornwall become carbon neutral by 2030. And this is an important step along the way to having enough charging points to make electric vehicles a credible sustainable choice in Cornwall. As we work to improve access to infrastructure, I would also like to see more financial incentives from industry and government to enable people to make the switch.”
