Views sought on electric charge points

Residents and businesses in South Derbyshire are being asked about their opinions on the future of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The results from the survey will provide evidence to help identify areas of demand. This will inform future decisions about the most suitable locations to provide EV charge points.

The survey is being run by Derbyshire County Council who are working towards developing a comprehensive network of on-street and destination charge points across the County. The intention is to provide practical and realistic alternatives for those EV owners who do not have access to home or work charging facilities.

The East Midlands currently has one of the lowest number of EV charge points per head of population.

South Derbyshire District Council has been trying to help change this by installing 42 charge points in five of its car parks. Swadlincote, Melbourne, Hilton and Hatton all now have EV charge point hubs which both residents and visitors can use. But much more is needed.

Electrification of the fleet is one of the most important range of measures to reduce carbon emissions from transport.

Road traffic in South Derbyshire contributes about 25% of all carbon emissions – over a quarter of a million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

Matt Holford, the Council's Head of Environmental Services said, “Information about current and future demand is really important to help shape what happens next. Understanding different demand across our area is also vitally important to provide evidence to support funding bids.

“The Council has set out its aspiration to make South Derbyshire carbon neutral by 2050. Where we’ve already installed electric charge points we’ve seen a very rapid rise in their use. We fully support the work of Derbyshire County Council to gather this information and we’d encourage South Derbyshire residents and businesses to take the opportunity to have their say.”

Access to the survey is here Electric vehicle charging in your area - Derbyshire County Council

To help you identify your nearest existing charge point please visit www.zap-map.com, which provides live and up to date information on charge point locations.

6 April 2023