Harrogate awarded £69,000 for electric vehicle charge points

Office for Low Emission Vehicles grants money towards installation of two electric vehicle rapid charging points

Harrogate borough council has been awarded £69,000 in government funding towards the installation of two electric vehicle rapid charging points, which will be capable of charging an electric car in less than 30 minutes.

The grant from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) follows the recent launch of the national ‘Go Ultra Low’ campaign, which is a jointly-funded partnership between the government and the car industry.

The council has been awarded the money to install two electric vehicle charge points

The campaign aims to encourage motorists to learn more about ultra-low emission vehicles and consider switching to pure electric, plug-in hybrid, or extended-range electric vehicles in order to improve air quality.

Harrogate councillor Margaret Atkinson, cabinet member for public protection and rural affairs, said: “The government has recently announced its intention to invest more than £9 million to boost the number of charging points for electric vehicles, and it is really encouraging that the Harrogate district will be able to take advantage of this funding.

She said that the number of people purchasing electric vehicles was “rapidly growing” and that the charging points would give drivers “the peace of mind that they can charge their vehicles while they are away from home, extending the range of their journeys”.

Councillor Atkinson added: “There are numerous advantages to owning such a vehicle. Electric car owners do not have to pay car tax and the cost of a journey can be from just 2p per mile, which is a huge saving when compared to a petrol or diesel vehicle. The rapid charging point will likely be run on a pay as you go scheme with a small charge being made for the charging along with a small fee transaction fee. These charges will be lower than the costs of one litre of fuel.

“Of course, these forms of transport also have a significant positive impact on the environment with a possible 50-60 per cent reduction in CO2 and zero fuel related emissions of air pollutants therefore improving the air quality. This in turn can improve the health of local people. And of course electric vehicles also have a significant impact on reducing vehicle noise.”

She said that the charging points would also benefit businesses such as taxi firms and bus companies and hoped that the charging points would grow into a network across the town.

According to the council, a report is now being prepared to the council to secure the additional match funding required to implement the project.