Date:
(News source: Surrey Country Council)
As part of a programme to install thousands of Electric Vehicle (EV) chargepoints in Surrey over the coming years, Surrey County Council is asking residents where they would like to see an EV chargepoint installed in their area.
Residents can suggest locations for EV chargepoints through an online map. There are already over 400 suggestions from residents, but more are needed to ensure full coverage of the county as not all locations suggested will be suitable.
To be suitable for an EV chargepoint, locations should be:
- where an electric vehicle can park legally and safely, with sufficient pavement space for wheelchairs and pushchairs to pass comfortably,
- with nearby access to a power supply – it is appreciated that this is difficult to know, but with no access to a power supply an otherwise preferred location might not be possible due to power supply issues
- chargepoints would normally be standalone equipment, however lighting columns located at the pavement edge nearest to the road might also be possible.
These suggestions will be used over the coming years to inform the selection of locations for the wider roll-out across the county, ensuring there is a comprehensive network of chargepoints for residents without their own chargepoints. The county council has a target to be net-zero carbon by 2050, and currently 41 per cent of emissions come from transport.
Providing a comprehensive network of publicly accessible chargepoints is essential for supporting residents who don’t have their own off-street parking in their transition to electric vehicles and helping the county achieve its goal. As more people switch to electric vehicles it is estimated that the county will need 10,000 electric vehicle chargepoints by 2030, when the government’s ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles comes into effect.
Surrey County Council has nearly completed installation of the first 80 chargepoints in Guildford, Spelthorne, Waverley and Woking boroughs as part of a trial funded by the Enterprise M3 LEP and the local borough councils. For more information on these locations, visit the Surrey County Council website and to find chargepoints nearby visit Zap Map.