New, and hopefully more reliable, electric vehicle charging points will be rolled out across the Island later this year.
The Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet unanimously agreed the move last night (Thursday) after an increasing number of complaints had been received about the current charging points.
Current chargers ‘becoming increasingly unreliable’
Issues have been found in electric vehicle charging points installed in council car parks and the authority said they were ‘becoming increasingly unreliable’.
The council does not own the charging points but has received requests to improve the facilities from Islanders and visitors.
Jordan: The cheapest option for the council
Cllr Phil Jordan, cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, said leasing the new charging points under the wider Hampshire scheme is the cheapest option for the council as it would provide a return but for no investment.
Cabinet papers suggest the council could make £6,500 from the chargers a year when they are being used fully.
The Island still playing catch-up
Cllr Jordan said the Island is playing catch-up, as Hampshire introduced the Central Southern Region framework scheme for electric vehicle chargers in 2018.
With the end of carbon vehicles in sight, Cllr Jordan said, the Island needed to do this and visitors to the Island, with electric vehicles, were expecting the public facilities to be available to charge their vehicles.
It is also hoped installing new, and more, charging points will encourage people to buy electric vehicles.
27 extra sockets
The rollout of the 15 new charges, in nine locations, will provide 27 sockets in car parks but there is the possibility to add more if the demand is there.
It is the second phase of electric vehicle charging points installed by the Isle of Wight Council, as ten on-road charging points put in place last year.
Locations for car park chargers
As previously reported by News OnTheWight, it is thought the new chargers could be in place and operational by the summer. They will be installed in the following car parks:
- Chapel Street, Newport
- Sea Street, Newport
- Seaclose Park
- Quay Road, Ryde
- St Thomas Street (upper), Ryde
- St John’s Road, Sandown
- Cross Street, Cowes
- Central Car Park, Ventnor
- Moa Place, Freshwater
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
