A major public consultation is being launched today to assess Bristol’s existing chargepoint network for Electric vehicles. The organisations running the process want to hear views from any current user of the network – or people who would like to operate an electric vehicle in the future – on how Bristol’s electric chargepoint network should be run, managed and supported going forward.
In January 2016, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) announced that Bristol had been awarded £7.1million of funding over five years to promote the uptake of electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrids, across the region. OLEV’s ambition is to have virtually zero emissions on Britain’s roads by 2050.
As part of its programme, Bristol City Council aims to use its funding to install around 120 new public Electric Vehicle Charging points across Bath and North-East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Low carbon technology experts Cenex have been brought in to help with identifying sites for public EV charging infrastructure, and will assess their feasibility working with the Distribution Network Operator and local authorities.
The target is to reach 5,000 new electric vehicle registrations per year by 2020, and therefore must meet anticipated demand for public charging points, potentially adding up to 200 additional chargepoints.
Councillor Kye Dudd, Cabinet Member for Energy at Bristol City Council for Bristol City Council, commented;
“Bristol has a proud history of leading by example in the action against climate change and has committed to be a city that runs entirely on clean energy by 2050.The move towards electric vehicles is one that the council is keen to support and will help us to make significant improvements to our air quality. As well as upgrading our own vehicle fleet, we’re determined to meet local demand for charging points to enable as many local residents and businesses as possible to own and run electric vehicles in the future.”
How to get involved
The consultation process includes a survey and focus groups. If you live or work in the West of England and would like to contribute your thoughts to the research, please follow this link to take part in the survey. Completing the survey should take no more than ten minutes and, upon completion, those responding will be able to enter a prize draw for a chance to win a £100 Amazon shopping voucher.
The focus groups are due to take place during the week of the 19th of February 2018. If you would like to take part in the focus group sessions, please email Energy Saving Trust at [email protected] with the subject “West of England EV Focus Group” who will be in touch with more details.
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