Lincolnshire County Council has led a bid for almost £1million in funding as part of Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Pilot, which could deliver more than a hundred electric vehicle charging points in the county.
Five Midlands local authorities submitted the bid as part of Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Pilot.
As part of the bid, LCC has drawn up key areas that could benefit from some of the 43% increase in the number of chargers outlined in the bid: Grantham, Boston, Gainsborough, Skegness, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Sleaford, Hemswell Cliff, Spalding and Louth.
If successful, the £935,355 will be distributed between Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Herefordshire, Rutland and Stoke-on-Trent Councils.
It is expected that this support from Government will attract an additional £2.8million of private sector investment, with the cumulative funds being used to install a total of 322 standard and 27 rapid public EV chargers across the Midlands.
In Lincolnshire, the funding will be used to deliver 101 standard and 8 rapid charging points across the county.
The majority of these will be on-street chargers in residential areas with the remainder being placed in council-owned carparks and other council-owned land. It is hoped that this pilot could pave the way for a larger, region-wide installation scheme.
Last year, analysis by Midlands Connect found that Lincolnshire needs 1,404 new public EV charging points by the end of 2025 to meet the needs of the growing EV market.
Estimates suggest that the installation and maintenance of electric vehicle charging points will also create an influx of jobs in the region with over 3,600 related roles set to be created in Lincolnshire by the end of 2032.
At present, 93% of electric vehicle owners have access to off-road parking.
It’s hoped that increasing the number of public charging stations will make it easier for those without a driveway to make the switch to an electric vehicle, while also increasing the ease of travel and charging for all EV users in the county.
Cllr Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, the authority leading the bid, added: “We know that residents in Lincolnshire are keen to make greener choices and many are planning to make the switch to an electric vehicle well ahead of the ban on new diesel and petrol car sales in 2030.
“Given that we are such a vast county where motorists often have to travel longer distances, it’s essential that we have a comprehensive network of public charging points in place so that motorists can travel without the worry of losing power, and residents without driveways know they can charge their vehicles close to home.
“We’re very hopeful that this bid will be successful, allowing us to move forward and install the charging points we so sorely need.”
