Somerset Council has been granted almost £4m to support the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) charge points.
The project is backed by £3.78m from the Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure fund, enabling the local authority to deliver EV charging stations in both rural and urban locations across the county.
As part of the contract, up to 20 rapid charge points and roughly 1,606 lower-powered charge points will be installed, using a ‘low-voltage lamp column cable network’ that minimises disruption, while also cutting costs.
According to the council, the project will support EV uptake for the estimated 27% of homes in Somerset without access to off-street parking.
Residents will be also given the opportunity to propose locations for charge point sites through the council website, allowing for greater ‘community involvement’.
Cllr Richard Wilkins, Lead Member for Transport and Digital, said: ‘By adopting this delivery approach, we can ensure that rural communities are not left behind in the transition to electric vehicle infrastructure.
‘Without LEVI funding, the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in more rural, lower-demand, and commercially less viable areas of Somerset would be unlikely. We are committed to allocate 25% of all chargepoints to these locations, to help meet the needs of all residents.’
