Hertsmere car parks welcome EV charge points

Hertsmere Borough Council has partnered with British electric vehicle charging company Pod Point to install the first electric vehicle (EV) charge points in the area.

Three council run car parks have had Pod Point Open Charge Twin Units installed, located at The Civic Offices car park in Borehamwood; Salisbury Close car park in Potters bar; and High Road car park in Bushey.

The charge points are 7kW, which provide enough charge to power around 30 miles of range per hour - ideal for drivers running errands around the area.

Commenting on the installation, councillor Seamus Quilty, portfolio holder for environment and transport at Hertsmere Borough Council, said, “It is important for us to be able to offer facilities to all our residents. Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly common and we need to support those drivers, as well as encourage motorists to swap to ultra-low emission vehicles, which will benefit the environment.

“We have updated our car parks and a part of this scheme has been to future-proof them ready for electric charging points."

Hertsmere Borough Council built in the infrastructure when originally developing the car parks so that cabling for EV could be easily laid at a later date to minimise disruption while the charging points are installed.

The initial units are expected to be the first phase of a wider roll-out for the council. The uptake will be monitored, with a view to extend the network to other car parks across the borough in the future.