More than 75 new electric vehicle chargers could be installed in Basingstoke and Deane later this year if a bid for government funding is successful.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hampshire County Council, as local highway authority, are jointly preparing a bid for government funding to install new electric vehicle charging points on streets and in residential areas across the borough.

As part of preparing the bid the councils have identified up to 40 different locations for the potential installation of new chargers, including in Norden, Brighton Hill, Popley, Eastrop and Grove and Brookvale and Kings Furlong in Basingstoke, as well as in Tadley, Oakley, Sherfield on Loddon and Overton.

Aiming for the installations to take place as swiftly as possible, the potential locations were selected as they already have a suitable power supply near to the road for the new charging points to connect to.

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Other considerations included looking at areas with limited off-street parking, as well as having chargers within five minutes’ walk of homes and in places where demand is likely to be higher in the near future, based on technical assessments and requests from residents to the county council.

Cllr Mark Ruffell, cabinet member for the natural environment and climate improvement, said: “Giving residents the confidence to switch to electric vehicles, as a greener and more sustainable form of transport, is a vital part of fulfilling our vision for a net zero carbon borough in Basingstoke and Deane.

“We already have a strong track record with delivering electric vehicle chargers and our work alongside the county council is set to increase this further, almost doubling the number of public chargers in our borough to make it easier for residents, including those without driveways, to make the switch, cutting carbon emissions and improving local air quality.”

Provided the bid is successful, the government’s On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme would cover up to three quarters of the overall installation costs, with the borough council looking to fund the remaining balance. The electric vehicle charging points would then be installed over the summer and autumn later this year, based on availability.

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Around a quarter of the new chargers would be fast chargers, able to charge a car from empty to 100 per cent in two to five hours depending on car and battery capacity, with the rest being ideal for charging an electric vehicle overnight or during the working day.

This move is in line with the borough council’s climate emergency declaration, which commits to working towards making Basingstoke and Deane a carbon neutral borough by 2030, and part of its transport strategy.

Following the submission of the funding bid, the borough council will continue to work with the county council to explore opportunities for creating further new electric vehicle charging points in areas across the borough.

For more information about electric vehicle charging points in the borough, visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/vehicle-charging-point.

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