- Essex County Council in the UK has secured £8.3 million worth of funding through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) scheme, which will see a further 5,000 EV chargers rolled out across the county by 2031.
- The £8.3 million investment is the second largest LEVI allocation ever awarded in the UK.
- Installations of the first charge points under this scheme will begin this summer.
Essex to see thousands more EV chargers
After the first public charger funded through the LEVI scheme went live last year, Essex County Council is the latest in a long list of UK local authorities to take advantage of this funding opportunity. With installations of the first 5,000 chargers through this scheme beginning this summer, the council has also launched its ‘Electrifying Essex’ campaign, encouraging residents to make the switch to electric as the public infrastructure grows.
This campaign will highlight the potential cost savings of EV ownership, whilst informing people on the support and incentive schemes already available to EV owners. This will be backed up by an in-person event this summer, allowing residents to speak to EV experts and take on-the-spot test drives of electric cars.
Councillor Dan Land, Deputy Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport, commented:
“We’re Electrifying Essex with thousands more electric vehicle charging points for the public. This will help make it easier than ever for our residents to consider going electric with their next car.
Encouraging the switch to electric vehicles is an important part of our plans to improve air quality and our environment. Although they are only part of the solution, electric vehicles have a key role to play alongside other travel options such as walking and cycling.
A growing number of people in Essex have already switched to an electric vehicle and are enjoying up to £1,400 in savings per year from fuel and maintenance costs. We want to support more of our residents to reap the benefits.
Installing more public charging points can be vital for people without access to home charging. It also provides convenient access for drivers to charge their vehicles when they’re away from home or on a longer journey.”
