Manchester adds more electric car charging points

AN extra 30 electric vehicle charging points are being installed in Greater Manchester.

The new points include five which will charge a car in 20 minutes, rather than the usual three hours.

Greater Manchester now has around 280 charging points.

The latest have been funded by the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles and Greater Manchester’s integrated transport block, which is devolved transport spending.

Around 2,200 electric cars were registered in Greater Manchester in 2012, and there were a further 2,561 in the nine months to September 2013.

In Salford there will be an extra seven charging points, taking the total to 18.

The city’s assistant mayor for strategic planning, councillor Derek Antrobus, said: “Salford has shown a real appetite for electric cars. I’m delighted to see more and more on the road and extra chargers. I’m expecting more people will become part of the road revolution.

“It’s a great time to become an electric car user. Petrol prices are rising all the time and these cars are good for the environment.”

The chargers should be available by the end of March with the rapid points working by April.