New electric vehicle charging points

Photo - one of the growing number of electric cars in Yate (this one owned by a Focus Team member)

South Glos Council is installing 14 new electric vehicle (EV) charging points at seven locations across South Gloucestershire.

The 14 charging points will be located at Emersons Green, Hanham, Kingswood, Patchway, Staple Hill, Thornbury and Yate, offering residents and visitors to the area rapid (50kW) and fast (7-22kW) charging facilities at a wider range of locations. This is the first phase of our roll-out of EV charging points, with future plans for a number more at sites across the area. They will be installed in public car parks at:

• The Parade (Epney Close), Patchway (one fast)
• Yate Shopping Centre West car park (Station Road entrance), Yate (one rapid and one fast)
• Cecil Road car park, Kingswood (two fast)
• Mary Street car park, Thornbury (one fast)
• Haynes Lane, Staple Hill (one fast)
• Laburnum Road car park, Hanham (one fast)

The council is also installing one fast and five rapid charge points at a flagship West of England charging hub at the Bristol and Bath Science Park (BBSP) in Emersons Green, which will also feature a solar canopy. They ultimately aim to install a total of 12 (including both rapid and fast) EV charging bays at the hub.

The council expects to begin installing the first batch of charging points from mid-July and all 14 will be operational by the end of March 2021.

This is welcome news but there is still a long way to go to make electric cars an option for people without driveways.

The Liberal Democrats have submitted a written question ahead of next week’s council meeting on installing charging points in lamp posts.

Photo - one of the growing number of electric cars in Yate (this one owned by a Focus Team member)