- Birmingham is rolling out 560 lamppost EV chargers to help residents without off-street parking access convenient overnight charging.
- With 300 chargers installed and 260 more coming by spring 2025, this project aims to cut emissions and improve air quality.
- Supporting Birmingham’s net-zero goals, this initiative sets a precedent for other cities looking to expand EV infrastructure.
Birmingham expands EV charging with 560 new ubitricity lamppost chargers
Birmingham City Council has officially launched a major expansion of its electric vehicle (EV) charging network. In collaboration with ubitricity, the UK’s largest charge point operator, the city is now rolling out 560 new lamppost chargers. Crucially, this initiative tackles a major issue in charging accessibility by building public infrastructure for those without driveways.
The project is the first of its kind in Birmingham. Without easy overnight charging, many drivers hesitate to go electric. The city council is removing that barrier by focusing these installs on residential areas. In doing so, the project supports Birmingham’s climate goals, including a net-zero target by 2030.
Stuart Wilson, UK Managing Director of ubitricity, commented:
“ubitricity is delighted to be supporting Birmingham City Council as they begin this journey to create one of the largest public EV charging networks outside London, encouraging the transition to electric vehicles, and helping to create a cleaner and healthier, environment for the people of Birmingham.”
ubitricity is supplying, installing, and maintaining the chargers. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) is funding the initiative. So far, 300 charge points have been installed, with the remaining 260 set to be completed by spring 2025. The company has installed thousands of charge points in London and Europe, and the technology is now spreading to the US.
To further the appeal of these charge points, each one takes less than an hour to install as it relies on pre-existing infrastructure.
Councillor Majid Mahmood, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport at Birmingham City Council, added:
“While our focus as a council is on delivering the Birmingham Transport Plan and encouraging people to swap private vehicles for public transport, we also want to ensure that, for those who require use of a car, we have the infrastructure in place to facilitate use of low or zero-emission vehicles.”
By making EV charging easier and more convenient, Birmingham is helping residents embrace cleaner transport. The UK’s second city has been rapidly electrifying in recent years. Recently, the NEC built the UK’s largest public charging hub as part of this push. The combination of these projects serves as a blueprint for other cities looking to cut emissions and improve air quality.
