Council launches 100 EV charging bays in partnership with infrastructure provider
Trafford Council has connected the first tranche of a planned 100 new electric vehicle charging bays.
Against a background of a regional disparity in access to charging points, this is the biggest local authority roll-out in Greater Manchester.
Delivered in partnership with charging infrastructure provider Be.EV, the roll-out has been designed to ensure charging access is available for all residents.
Up to 100 charging bays will be delivered by 2023, with no capital investment from the local authority, as it has leased sites to Be.EV, which is responsible for the build and maintenance of the network.
The first 19 bays to go live are based in charging hubs at Flixton Road, Thorley Lane and Brown Street, plus two rapid charging bays at Longford Park.
The go-live comes as Department for Transport statistics show that the North West has the lowest level of public charge points per 100,000 population of any English region – 32 per 100,0000 people – far behind the South East (49), West Midlands (42) and London (122).
Chris Morris, Director of Transport, Highways and Environment at Trafford Borough Council, said: “The aim of this roll-out is to create dependable, fair access to public EV charging across the borough. We want to build the infrastructure that encourages everybody to go electric – even if they can’t charge at home.
“The team at Be.EV use street level data to really drill into neighbourhoods and find the locations that make the biggest difference locally. Building bigger hubs that ensure there’s always a free space is part of that strategy.”
Be.EV CEO, Asif Ghafoor, said: “As significant landowners and as representatives of all their residents, councils and cities play in an important role in ensuring a fast and fair delivery of green infrastructure.
“But, as Trafford Council has shown, they don’t have to do it all. We are delighted to have supported their team with our planning and data expertise and, crucially, with significant capital investment.”
In October 2022, Be.EV secured up to £110m of investment from Octopus Energy Generation, supporting the roll-out of 1,000 new chargers across the North of England and beyond by 2024.
