ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø

What are Electric Vehicles?

Electric vehicles (EVs) are cars, vans and other motor vehicles that have battery powered electric motors, unlike conventional petrol or diesel powered vehicles, also known as internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Electric vehicles do not produce the exhaust pipe emissions, that lead to climate change and poor air quality in our communities.

The sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned in the UK from 2035, and many car manufacturers now offer a selection of electric vehicles within their range.

Hybrid vehicles have both a petrol or diesel and an electric motor that reduces exhaust pipe emissions, but they will no longer be sold after 2035 as only cars with zero carbon emissions will be sold beyond that date.

Types of Electric Vehicle

There are four main types of electric vehicle:

• Fully electric vehicles, known as a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV): a vehicle solely powered by batteries which needs to be plugged in to be charged. These will be sold beyond 2035.
• Plug in range extended vehicle, known as an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV): a vehicle powered by batteries, but with a small petrol/diesel generator fitted, that can help extend the range of the vehicle by topping up the batteries while driving. A decision is awaited on whether these will be sold beyond 2035.
• Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV): A vehicle which can be powered both by electric and a conventional diesel/petrol engine. It can both be plugged in and fuelled conventionally. The vehicle is driven by either or both engines to generate maximum efficiency. Sale of new PHEV cars will be banned from 2035.
• Conventional hybrid, known as a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV): these vehicles have a conventional petrol/diesel engine that is supported by an electric motor, which means higher carbon emissions than any of the above types of vehicle. Sale of new HEV cars will be banned from 2035.

Electric vehicles are usually extremely quiet to drive and do not produce exhaust emissions, however they still produce some local air pollution due to brake and tyre wear, as well as CO2 emissions associated with producing electricity. All public chargepoints installed as part of Phase 3 of our chargepoint rollout are powered by 100% renewable energy.

Electric Vehicle uptake

As of February 2024, 1 million battery electric vehicles have been registered in the UK, with BEVs making up 21% of new car sales. Statistics on new vehicle sales are regularly published by the and the .

ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø's on-street public chargepoint locations

The number of public chargepoints on ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø's highways (also called on-street chargepoints) is growing daily. There is also an increasing number of chargepoints in public car parks managed by District and Borough Councils. A lot of publicly-accessible EV chargepoints are owned and operated by private companies, such as at shops and shopping centres, or petrol stations. There are several public charging networks operating in the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø area.

The best way to find your nearest chargepoint is by using the . This is regularly updated to show the latest public chargepoint locations, including on-street chargepoints managed by ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø, as well as chargepoints managed by other operators.

Types of public chargepoint

Electric vehicles can be charged using an alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) charging system. Most EVs can accept either type, although some older models may only accept AC.

We are looking at installing a number of public chargepoint on ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø's Highways over the coming years. These can be split into three categories:

• Fast AC chargers (7 or 11 kWh): these are the most common type of public chargepoint. They are standalone devices which normally have two sockets per device. These can charge a typical EV in 3 to 6 hours, depending on the achievable charging speed and the size of the battery.

• Slow/ Standard AC chargers (3.5 to 5kW): in areas where fast chargers are not feasible, we may install charging sockets in lamp posts. These deliver a slower charging rate compared to fast chargers.

• Rapid DC chargers (50kW and above): in areas of high expected demand we may install rapid chargers. These can charge compatible EVs from 20% to 80% charge in less than 1 hour. These normally have a higher user tariff compared to AC chargers, due to the cost of the chargepoint equipment.

At an AC charger you normally use your own charging cable. The vast majority of chargers and EVs use the 'Type 2' connector, although some older models such as the Nissan Leaf use a 'Type 1' connector which may require an adapter. Rapid chargers always have their own integrated charging cable.

More information on chargepoint types is available at .

About ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø's on-street electric chargepoint rollout

Since 2019 ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø has been rolling out public chargepoints across the county to enable EV ownership, particularly in areas with limited off-street parking. In 2020 there were only 6 on-street chargepoint sockets across ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø. By October 2024, there were over 200 EV chargepoints sockets installed on behalf of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø.

In February 2023, the Council signed a contract with Connected Kerb Ltd to install thousands of public chargepoints across the county over the next 5 years. Through this contract, chargepoints are being installed at convenient on-street locations in residential areas and high streets.

Connected Kerb will install a mix of chargepoints, depending on location, to suit all needs. This will include:

• Standard 7kW chargepoints
• Slower 3-5kW lamp post chargepoints, in locations where bollard chargepoints are not feasible
• Rapid chargepoints (50kW+) in areas of high expected demand, however these will be better suited to car parks and will be installed on-street on a case-by-case basis.

Read the for more information.

How to use the on-street electric vehicle chargepoints

Using the chargepoints

To charge your vehicle, you need to park in the EV space, plug your car into the chargepoint and then start the charge via the chargepoint operator website or mobile app.

The chargepoint operator details are labelled on the chargepoint unit.

Once your car is charged you should unplug and move your car ready for the next user. Please bear in mind some chargepoint bays have a maximum stay time, this will be indicated on nearby signposts if applicable.

Paying for charging

You can pay for a session without registering as a user by going to the operator's website and providing payment card details. Please visit these web pages for more information:

Cost of charging

As of Tuesday 22 April 2025, a new tariff has come into effect. The tariff is: