North East to see increase in public EV chargers

The number of EV chargers more than doubles in the North East as South Tyneside Council partners with charge point operators Connected Kerb.

They have announced the deployment of up to 2,100 chargers in the North East as part of the biggest single rollout of electric vehicle chargers in the North of England, with work due to begin this month.

The North East hosts less than 3 per cent of the UK’s public charging infrastructure, despite being home to almost 4 per cent of the UK’s population. 

This equates to just 58 chargers per 100,000 people, compared to 193 in London.

Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb, said: “With millions of pounds available to local authorities from Government initiatives such as the LEVI Fund, councils are in the driving seat to take decisive, meaningful action to deploy charge points where their communities need them the most."

The partnership between Connected Kerb and South Tyneside Council is planned to see 80 per cent of the chargers operational in the next two years alone.

The first phase of the installation will take place over at around 40 sites, including community centres, sports facilities and libraries. As part of the rollout, more than  40 existing charge points will be upgraded, increasing reliability and network uptime for users. 

South Tyneside Council is aiming to reduce carbon emissions and become a carbon neutral authority by 2030. 

Councillor Ernest Gibson, lead member for neighbourhoods and climate change at South Tyneside Council said the UK is undergoing a "massive shift in ways in which we travel."

"We are committed to giving more residents the confidence they need to make the switch to electric, whilst supporting our sustainability agenda.

"Our partnership with Connected Kerb – enabling the largest rollout of EV chargers in the North East – provides a blueprint for other councils right across the UK to follow.”