HUNDREDS of state-of-the-art electric vehicle charging (EV) points are to be installed across Solihull.
Around 500 EV points will be switched on across Solihull Council car parks by 2026.
This comes after the authority was awarded a contract to pan-European charge point operator Qwello to install new charging points within Council car parks and on-street destinations.
Phase one of the rollout will see over 150 charging points installed across nine locations, including Solihull, Knowle, Chelmsley Wood, Balsall Common and Castle Bromwich, with the first sites anticipated to go live this summer.
As part of the contract, ultra-rapid charging points will also be provided by InstaVolt, with 16 due to be installed in the first phase alone.
The scheme supports the Council’s Electric Vehicle Strategy which seeks to encourage wider adoption of electric vehicles and tackle barriers to ownership by increasing accessibility to EV infrastructure, whilst contributing to the Council’s ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions and tackling climate change.
The roll-out of new charging points is supported by a £800,000 grant from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot project, awarded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and Department for Transport (DfT).
Installation, operation and maintenance of the charging points will come at zero cost to the Council.
Councillor Andy Mackiewicz, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Planning, said: “This is fantastic news for Solihull which will more than double the borough’s existing EV charging capacity.
“The awarding of this contract drives our ambition for Solihull to be at the forefront of electrification both regionally and nationally, and we are delighted to be working with leading suppliers Qwello and InstaVolt on this exciting scheme.”
