Brighton & Hove, a pioneering municipality in the UK, is set to bolster its electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure with the addition of 100 new lamp post charging points and 20 fast chargers next month. This expansion will bring the total number of EV chargers in the city to close to 500, offering residents and visitors greater accessibility to charging facilities.
The first phase of the initiative will focus on installing AC chargers, made possible by a 440,000-pound government grant from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). This grant will cover 60 per cent of the total cost of the lamp post chargers, which will be supplied and operated by Blink Charging, with the remaining 40 per cent funded by Blink Charging. The installation of fast chargers is expected to follow later in the spring or summer.
This expansion is part of a larger effort supported by a 2.865 million pound grant from the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, secured by Brighton & Hove in February. This funding will enable the installation of at least 1,650 new chargers over the next three years, further solidifying Brighton & Hove’s position as one of the most well-equipped cities in the UK in terms of EV charging infrastructure.
Councillor Trevor Muten, Chair of the Transport and Sustainability committee, praised the initiative, stating, “Brighton & Hove really is leading the way when it comes to providing an Electric Vehicle infrastructure fit for the future. This funding means we can provide hundreds of new charge points for the thousands of residents and visitors who’ve made the switch to electric or will do so in the years ahead.”
