Gosport residents and visitors will soon be able to use new electric vehicle (EV) charge points in car parks across the borough.
More than 30 charging sockets will be available in seven car parks as part of a new partnership between Gosport Borough Council and Liberty Charge.
Work will begin this month with Marine Parade car park set to accommodate the first charge points in use in January.
The other car parks set to benefit from the project are Beach Road, Green Lane No.2 Battery East, No.2 Battery West, Pebble Beach, and Walpole.
The installations come as the borough sees significant uptake of EVs with a 600% increase in Gosport resident ownership within the last five years. By 2030 it is estimated there will be more than 14,000 EVs on Gosport roads, something the council is keen to ensure its public EV infrastructure is ready to facilitate.
Council Leader Cllr Peter Chegwyn said: "I'm delighted we're introducing charge points to our car parks. It will support the growing number of electric vehicles in the borough and hopefully encourage more people to invest in them. We want to support our residents in making environmentally-friendly choices and this will help reduce pollution and benefit everyone in Gosport."
Liberty Charge is a specialist in delivering charge point infrastructure at zero-cost to local councils, taking full responsibility for maintaining and operating the charge points, without requiring any taxpayer money. The company will own and operate the charge points which will be delivered via its strategic partner Virgin Media 02.
Neil Isaacson, CEO of Liberty Charge, says the business is really excited to begin its partnership with Gosport council: “We’re proud to contribute to Gosport’s plans for cleaner air and reduction in carbon emissions, all of which comes at zero cost to the taxpayer or council.”
“We are also thrilled to be working with another council, helping to ensure nationwide availability of critical charging infrastructure that is available to all residents.”
The installation is part of Gosport’s aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and helps prepare for the 2030 government ban on the sale of all new diesel and petrol vehicles.
Opmerkingen