Thousands of electric car charging points to be installed across Cambridgeshire

Thousands of electric car charging points will need to be installed across Cambridgeshire over the next seven years.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority have said 10,000 public plug-in stations will be needed across the county by 2030 as part 7-year countdown to sustainable transport.

These charge-points, many to be along public roads, will help residents who don’t have off-street parking but need to be able to ‘zap up’ their vehicle batteries if they make the jump from diesel or petrol.

The plans, geared to assist the UK in reaching Net Zero 2050, follow the 2021 Independent Commission on Climate’s recommendation that the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough area rolls out Electric Vehicle – EV -charging infrastructure by 2030.

Having received over £400k in March to help kickstart the big switchover with staffing and strategy, and with another £5.5m award potentially available to move it forward next year, the Combined Authority is now leading the search for contractors to put in the necessary public infrastructure to make EV uptake ever more possible.

To meet the tight 2030 target, contractors equipped with the right level of expertise and capability will be recruited to put the charging stations in at speed.

Deputy Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Cllr Anna Smith: “We have set ourselves a massive but achievable target and it is truly exciting to be delivering this for the entire area, for town and country, as well as for our cities.

“This is the start of a big journey. Getting accessible, available, and affordable hardware in place for residents, workers, and visitors in the region is the key to more sustainable transport. It will boost the big switchover from fossil-fuelled private cars and make possible more zero-emission bus and taxi fleets. It also helps protect our residents from high prices of petrol and diesel at the pumps and can improve air quality too.

“Our ambition needs innovation and partnership, an increase in the supply of electric passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and buses, coupled with widescale installation of rapid-charging points.”