County Durham and North Yorkshire set for multi-million pound electric vehicle chargepoint trial

Locations across County Durham and North Yorkshire will trial the new scheme. Credit: PA

Drivers across the region will have better access to electric vehicle chargepoints thanks to a multi-million pound trial.

North Yorkshire will receive £2.2 million and County Durham £2.1 million respectively, through a new pilot backed by £20 million of government and industry funding.

Through the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme, chosen councils across our region will work with national authorities to create new, commercial EV charging infrastructure for residents, from on-street chargepoints to larger petrol station-style charging hubs.

The rollout supports the Government’s drive to encourage more motorists to go electric, ultimately saving drivers money on fuel and running costs and improve air quality as the country moves towards its net zero targets.

The scheme hopes to help residents without private driveways have better access to EV chargers and enable more people to drive and charge without fear of being caught short, no matter where they are.

Electric cars are growing in popularity, as the government focuses on net-zero targets Credit: PA

The president of AA, Edmund King OBE, said: “It is essential that more on-street chargers are delivered to boost the transition to zero emission vehicles for those without home charging.

“This injection of an extra £20 million funding will help bring power to electric drivers across England from Durham to Dorset. This is one further positive step on the road to electrification.”

Meanwhile, the Government hopes the cash boost will "help level up" electric vehicle infrastructure right across the UK.

Decarbonisation Minister Trudy Harrison said: “We want to expand and grow our world-leading network of EV chargepoints, working closely with industry and local government, making it even easier for those without driveways to charge their electric vehicles and support the switch to cleaner travel."

The new LEVI fund builds on the success of the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) which has seen nearly 2,900 chargepoints installed across the UK so far, with funding provided for almost 10,000 additional chargepoints in the future.

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