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Archived Press Release
Originally created on: Thursday 17 September, 2009
press release September 17 2009
Leading the way with electric car charging points
Brighton & Hove City Council is leading the way with proposals to introduce electric car charging points on the city's streets.
The council is set to become the first outside of London to install public on-street charging points, if plans are given the go ahead at a meeting next week (September 24).
Four charging points could be installed over the coming weeks, with more following by the end of the year.
The move is aimed at encouraging more people to drive environmentally-friendly electric cars and is part of the council's commitment to sustainable transport.
Brighton & Hove City Council's Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, will be recommended to give the go ahead to the plan at next week's Cabinet Member Meeting.
Cllr Theobald said: "We want to encourage people to use electric cars in Brighton & Hove by making it as easy as possible for drivers to charge up their vehicles in the city.
"The city has a reputation for being innovative and becoming the first area outside London to provide on-street public charging points will benefit residents, visitors and local businesses.
"We are looking at providing ten charging points by the end of the year, and extending the network of sites in future."
He added: "Electric vehicles produce zero emissions and so are much better for the air quality in town and city centres than petrol and diesel powered vehicles. As well as the environmental benefits, fluctuations in oil prices have also increased interest in electric cars."
The first charging points are due to be sited in Bartholomews in central Brighton and Ditchling Road, near The Level, with two points in each location.
At least three more sites, each containing two charging points, are expected to come into use by the end of the year and more will follow. Locations are still under consideration.
The council has won funding for the work as part of the European Civitas Archimedes Project.
Brighton & Hove City Council currently has a hybrid Prius as its official mayoral car, which switches between an electric motor and petrol engine, depending on driving conditions, and uses two electric-powered vehicles to collect recycling in narrow streets in the city centre.Electric car charging points are the latest in a package of innovative transport measures introduced by the council to help people get around the city quickly and easily. For example, talking bus stops providing spoken information have made a real difference for blind and visually impaired passengers and have won a number of national awards. The council has also just become the first local authority in the country to introduce a real-time bus information application for the iPhone, enabling passengers to check when their bus is due from their phone.
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