UK charge point operator Connected Kerb has announced plans to more than double the number of electric vehicle chargers in North East England, following its partnership with South Tyneside Council.
Under the partnership, Connected Kerb and South Tyneside Council will deploy up to 2,100 new charge points, marking the largest installation of public EV charge points in the North of England to date. This initiative aims to address the region’s underdeveloped charging infrastructure, which currently has only 2.7 percent of the UK’s charging stations despite being home to about 4 percent of the UK’s population.
“This equates to just 58 chargers per 100,000 people, compared to 193 in London,” said a spokesperson for Connected Kerb.
The deployment of the new charge points will occur over a 20-year period, starting this month. However, the partners have announced that 80% of the chargers will be operational within the next two years alone, representing a more than 30-fold increase in council-operated chargers in South Tyneside.
Connected Kerb CEO Chris Pateman-Jones highlighted the role of local authorities in driving EV infrastructure development, stating, “With millions of pounds available to local authorities from Government initiatives such as the LEVI Fund, councils are in the driving seat to take decisive, meaningful action to deploy charge points where their communities need them the most.”
Cllr Ernest Gibson, Lead Member for Neighbourhoods and Climate Change at South Tyneside Council, emphasized the council’s commitment to sustainability and supporting the shift towards electric vehicles, stating, “With the first chargers expected to be in the ground by the end of March, we are committed to giving more residents the confidence they need to make the switch to electric, whilst supporting our sustainability agenda.”
Connected Kerb is also engaged in similar initiatives in West Sussex, Cardiff, and Gloucestershire, working with local councils to expand charging infrastructure and support the transition to electric vehicles.