Birmingham City Council is to start rolling out 100% renewable energy electric vehicle charge points across the city from Autumn, 2020.
Investment has been secured by the council to support electric vehicles in the city, including GBP2.92m (US$3.8m) from the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and through its newly-procured Electric Vehicle (EV) Network Development Partner, ESB EV Solutions.
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During the next two years, an initial network of 394 rapid charge points will be installed across Birmingham, focusing on the city centre to support the electrification of Birmingham’s taxi fleet – but also accessible to the general public and local businesses.
The initial network development will allow electric taxis, cars and vans to pick up a significant charge in less than 30 minutes (depending on vehicle type). This will enable the expansion of the current charge point network and allow for further investment, where a pay-for-use model will be introduced across the network in the coming months following deployment of the first chargers.
Birmingham City Council will work with ESB EV Solutions to develop and deliver a complete charging strategy for the next 12 years. This will set-out plans for a city-wide EV charging system, focused on meeting the specific needs of all communities throughout Birmingham. Charge points will be deployed at key locations.
The electric vehicle charge point locations will be chosen based on a detailed assessment of predicted local demand.
“This is huge news for our city, and a major step in supporting our climate emergency commitment to cut carbon emissions,” said Council Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment, Waseem Zaffar.
“What’s more, it will be a key driver in supporting the electrification of Birmingham’s taxi fleet, which is a major step in us improving air quality in the city centre.
“This is a complete overhaul of our electric vehicle offering and I’m looking forward to seeing the first charging points being installed being later this year.”
