Transport minister Baroness Kramer visited Wiltshire last week (30 Oct) to see how the county is preparing for electric vehicles, and to officially open the county’s network of charge points.
Supported by a £225,000 government grant, Wiltshire County Council is installing rapid charge points across the county which can top up a plug-in car or van in 20 minutes.
The units are at key sites near major routes in Salisbury, Warminster, Melksham, Trowbridge, Corsham and Chippenham and the council has provided match funding of £75,000 towards the project. The network was officially opened by Baroness Kramer at the Corsham charge point.
The Government says there has been a “steady rise” in the number of people taking up low emission vehicles, as more models become available and the nationwide network of charging points continues to expand.
Driving costs can be as low as 2p per mile, and all new vehicles are expected to have some kind of ULEV element by 2040.
Baroness Kramer said: “More and more people are switching to plug-in vehicles, with more than 5,000 sold in the last three months. We need the right infrastructure to keep building that momentum. Providing charge points like these means people can be confident that they can charge their car when they are out and about.”
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