“Electric, oh I can see it, see it
Electric by Katy Perry
If you believe it then you can
There’s no reason that this life can’t be electric.”
Public electric vehicle chargepoints are vital for EV drivers without off-street parking or workplace charging, and can be useful for others who want to top-up while away from home or taking longer journeys.
The network of public chargepoints is rapidly expanding across the UK, but much more so in towns and cities than in rural communities like ours. Lack of access to a chargepoint is inevitably going to be a barrier to choosing an electric vehicle – the lower carbon alternative – over a petrol or diesel one. So Minch CAN is investigating a number of sites across the parish where one or more public chargers could be installed. Many of the homes without off-street parking are clustered in Minchinhampton town centre, but we are also considering the charging needs of the wider parish.
The On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme provides grant funding for local authorities to install on-street chargepoints. So for potential chargepoint sites that are owned by the council (parish, district or county), we would hope to be able to access this funding for much of the cost. For other sites, we are talking to a charity that is looking to raise institutional funding for local chargers in Gloucestershire and nearby counties. We will also consider any other grant opportunities, sponsorship or crowd-funding, and have asked to be included in the Gloucestershire County Council EV charger rollout (although that scheme is focused on the major settlements in the short term).
We are also researching what types of charger and cabling to offer – the priority will be to serve local residents wanting overnight (slow) charge, so a 7kWh charger on a tethered cable with Type 2 connector (standard for new EVs across the EU) may suit best, but we might upgrade from a 7kWh to a 22kWh fast charger where the electrical supply permits.
You can help by
We’re really keen to hear the community’s views on all this, so do get in touch if you’re someone who would use a public charger if available, or if you have thoughts about what charger(s) and where, or (even better!) if you have ideas for raising funding for these projects.
