Andy Munns
Wiltshire Council has installed 26 new electric vehicle (EV) charging points in the county, 13 of which will be in our local area.
The chargers, which Joju Charging is installing, are now being rolled out, with most replacing the current BP Pulse chargers, along with some new chargers in both car parks and council hubs.
Once the programme is complete, 70 new public chargers will be in place throughout the county. Depending on the power source available at each site, charging power will range from 7kW to 44kW rapid chargers, with some 22kW fast chargers.
To use the chargers, which will cost 52p per kWh from Monday, 22 May, people can download the Mer app on their smartphone from either the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, or they can use the telephone number on the side of the charging units.
New chargers local to us are:
- Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre – 4 x 7.2Kwh
- Bourne Hill (Belle Vue Road Car Park) – 1 x 7.2Kwh
- Petersfinger Park & Ride – 1 x 7.2Kwh
- London Road Park & Ride – 1 x 7.2Kwh
- Beehive Park & Ride – 1 x 7.2Kwh
- Britford Park & Ride – 1 x 7.2Kwh
- Wilton Park & Ride – 3 x 7.2Kwh
Cllr Caroline Thomas, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “We’re delighted that the rollout of our new EV chargers is progressing well. Once our rollout is complete, people will be able to use a range of different speed Wiltshire Council chargers in 27 locations throughout the county.
“As electric vehicle usage increases, we expect demand for these chargers to rise, but we have priced the unit rate competitively, so that we cover our operational and electricity costs.
“Our Business Plan sets out our commitment to becoming carbon neutral as an organisation by 2030, along with a pledge to support the decarbonisation of transport in the county, and these new EV chargers will help us on that journey.
“As well as these chargers, we are also offering a grant to town and parish councils to enable them to install EV chargers at suitable locations, and we have also invested in 45 new fully electric fleet vehicles and 17 plug-in hybrid vans, with more to come.
“We look forward to all 70 of these charging points being installed throughout the county to make it easier for people to make the switch to an electric vehicle.”
Emma Blades, Head of Public Sector Sales at Joju Charging, said: “We are delighted to be working with the council to install these fast and rapid charge points across the county, making electric vehicle charging more accessible for residents and visitors.
“The infrastructure will help to encourage the transition to electric vehicles by supporting people with reliable places to charge.”
To find out more about EV chargers in Wiltshire, people should go to: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/green-economy/electric-vehicles
