The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) will provide funding to councils in South Tyneside and Dorset to install new multi-standard, rapid electric vehicle charging points, manufactured by Siemens, in the new year.
Work will begin in 2015 to install 20 rapid charge points in South Tyneside and 19 in Dorset.
The units will multi-standard rapid charging points and will be carefully placed in strategic locations across both regions.
Allan West, lead council member for housing and transport at South Tyneside Council, said: “We’re committed to creating a low-carbon economy and encouraging the use of electric vehicles among residents and council employees.
“These new charging points will greatly expand our existing infrastructure of charging facilities.
“One of the main barriers to people using electric vehicles is ‘range anxiety’, so this new network of charging points will increase drivers’ confidence and make longer journeys much more practical.”
The new rapid charging points will be supported by a 3 year maintenance contract from Siemens.
Siemens also has contracts to install rapid chargers in Gloucester, Bristol, the Cotswolds and the Scottish border next year.
This will boost rapid charging infrastructure in the UK, which is on course to surpass 1000 points in 2015.
The Shields Gazette, EV Fleet World
