Power boost for electric cars in West Midlands as 10,000 new charging points to be installed
A general view of an electric car (Image: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
Thousands of extra electric car charging points are to be installed on road sides across the West Midlands to stop range anxiety.
West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker announced another 10,000 connection points will be introduced to help the region achieve its Net Zero target for 2041.
Mr Parker said latest Department for Transport figures showed the number of chargers is growing at a faster rate here than in most areas of the country.
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There are now more than 4,000 publicly accessible charging points across the region's road network – the fifth highest number of all English regions outside London and a 36 per cent increase in the past year.
It means residents and businesses in the West Midlands who have already made the switch now have access to the equivalent to 11 chargers per square mile.
And now Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) will work with local councils to use funding secured from government to install thousands more over the coming years.
This includes almost 200 charging points at nine ultra-fast filling stations where drivers will be able to power their vehicles with 100 miles or range in less than 15 minutes.
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A spokesperson for TfWM said range anxiety is one of the main reasons that drivers and company bosses have been hesitant about switching to electric vehicles with calls for the nation's charging infrastructure to be ramped up.
Mr Parker said: 'The West Midlands is the beating heart of the UK car industry and I want us to lead the charge into a new era of electrification.
'Our roadside EV charging network is already one of the fastest-growing in the country, but I'm not stopping there.
'I'm giving the green light for 10,000 more charging connection points as part of our transport revolution.
'This is about building a cleaner and greener future for all of our communities, reducing pollution and tackling the climate emergency head-on.'
The funding has been secured from the Department for Transport's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund and as part of the region's £1.3 billion City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement.
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