Dorset has been announced as one of just nine areas in England to receive funding from a new government scheme which aims to improve electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.
The funding comes from the new Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme, through which, Dorset Council has managed to secure £2.7million to increase the number of EV charge points in the council area.
The council will be working closely with local communities, landowners and businesses to identify the best locations to install the new charge points.
As part of its response to the Climate and Ecological Emergency, the council has prioritised getting chargers into the county’s main towns to date. This next round of work will focus more on increasing provision in Dorset’s more rural areas – something that will be key if Dorset hopes to meet the government target of becoming a carbon neutral county by 2050.
On top of a planned 175 fast chargers, this pilot will also include the installation of a small number of rapid or ultra-rapid (50 kW to 150 kW DC) chargers on or near main roads to support en route charging. Some charge points will be located at popular tourist locations where both residents and visitors can access them.
The new chargers will benefit a range of drivers, primarily targeting Dorset residents without access to off-street parking while also meeting the charging demands of those travelling into and through the county.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said:
“We are thrilled to hear the news that Dorset has been selected to be one of the pilot schemes for the government’s new Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funding.
“I’d like to congratulate the Transport Planning Team who have worked hard to put our winning bid together, it is a fantastic achievement to be selected from such a large number of applicants.
“This funding will allow us to expand the number of public charging points in our county’s more rural areas, supporting our ambitions to get at least 80% of Dorset households to be within a 10-minute walk of a charge point by 2025.
“Our next steps will be to work with communities and businesses to identify where these new charging points should be installed to best suit the needs of our residents and visitors. This is an exciting step forward for our county.”
The total pilot is estimated to cost £2.7 million, £1m of this has been secured through the LEVI programme, £1.1m will come from private sector investment, and the remaining £0.6m will be funded by capital investment from the council.
For more information on electric vehicle charging in Dorset, visit the Dorset Council website.
Good news I think.
As these charge points will be funded mostly by Council rate payers and tax payers, how will they be operated? And will any money be recovered from the electricity sales to pay back these investments?
Over 40% of the cost to install these charge points will come from private investment. How they are operated and the operational costs for each unit will vary depending on a number of external factors (for example whether there is already an existing electrical supply) – for more information on the new charge points and how they will be operated please visit the Electric vehicle charge points in Dorset page of the Dorset Council website or contact the team directly by emailing ElectricVehicles@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.
Dorset Council really need to get some fast chargers installed in Bovington, just off Duncan crescent there is a ideal spot with electric infrastructure already on site & unused, Duncan Place used to be a mobile home park & is now waste land that would be ideal for a EV Charge hub, why not make use of it as there are a number of EV owners locally and the area is quite central between Weymouth & Poole.
Thank you for your feedback Michael. To suggest a new location for an EV charge point, please visit the electric vehicle page of the Dorset Council website and complete the online form.
Katie
Dorset has no commitment to electric vehicles and here’s why, when I purchased my electric car parking was free whilst connected to a charger, that changed days after my purchase. At West Bay where I charge the cost was then 50p for an hour, now that has risen to £2 per hour. Couple this with the substantial rise in the cost of electricity it makes electric cars a bad idea. So to those thinking to make the switch DONT
Come on Dorset Council, where is your response.
To my way of thinking you should not have to pay car park charge if you are charging your car as you are paying for a service already.
Hi Paul – the electric vehicle chargers are installed and operated by Mer. This service is administered separately to the Dorset Council car park service and charging prices are managed by charge point operator Mer. You can find more information on the location of chargers and charging prices here – https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/parking/parking/electric-vehicle-charge-points.
Please note that parking is free between 6pm and 8am.
Why would you want to “ …within a 10 minute walk of a charge point”? Thought it was vehicles that might need a charge? Is it because the charging is so slow that you might need to walk home and then back again?
This scheme looks to address potential inequality of access to EV charge points between urban and rural settings – and hopes to install charge points in openly accessible community spaces such as village/community halls, car parks, and business premises such as pubs and village stores to benefit households that don’t have off-street parking or access to charging infrastructure.
Katie
This is good news we need more EV charging point badly. As an RV owner of nearly 5 years experience however I would please ask for the following comments to be noted.
1. Please ensure that whomever you partner with provides a service which DOES NOT demand the use of an app or membership system. It is really important that paying for power is kept a simple as possible and that is best done by a contact card system. Apps are a complete pain to use for a variety of reasons imposing added layers of complexity.
Thank you.
2. Please ensure that only fast chargers are provided. 22Kw chargers are not FAST . Only provide 50 kw and up, lower and the charge times are too slow when away from home.
Hi Mike, the planned charging points will be a combination of 22kW, 50kW and 150 kW DC chargers to meet the varying needs of users.
Katie
I think it is great news that there will be more EV charging points. The lack of chargers nationwide is one of the main reasons people are put off purchasing electric vehicles. The rather limited range of these vehicles can give a lot of anxiety for people undertaking long journeys who need to do a re-charge because there are currently too few chargers. Well done Dorset for starting to address this situation!
Good to see – well done.
Would be great to have some charge points in Swanage town centre. We live on the High Street, on a busy, narrow one-way section of the street with double yellows both sides and only one-hour parking bays nearby. It would be impossible for us to fit a private charging point at our home as there is nowhere to park the car. All our close neighbours are in the same position. Sadly we have just bought a newish car and had to make the decision not to buy an electric one this time as we just could not be confident of finding anywhere to charge it – especially in high season when demand must be phenomenal as so many visitors have electric cars. It’s fantastic news that more chargers are on their way. Build it and they will come!
Thank you for your feedback – to suggest a new charge point location please visit the Electric vehicle charge points in Dorset page of the Dorset Council website and complete the short online form.
Katie
To date Dorset Council have been working with a chargepoint operator to place chargepoints in council owned car parks. The car parks in Swanage are owned and managed by the town council. Dorset Council are talking to colleagues in the town council to see if there are opportunities to increase charging in the town. A Dorset Council sponsored chargepoint at Durlston Castle has been installed and will be commissioned in the next few weeks.
Can the public access the document that details the bid the council put forward?
The document is not available on-line but you can email electricvehicles@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk to request a copy.