Following the adoption of the Solihull’s Electric Vehicle Strategy, a number of new electric vehicle (EV) charging points are being installed around the borough. In this latest wave Shirley, Knowle, Olton, Silhill, Blythe, Lyndon, Elmdon, Dorridge and Smiths Wood will all benefit from the new points.
Funding has been jointly provided by Central Government through the Office of Zero Emission Vehicles (75%) and the Council’s own funds (25%) to improve charging infrastructure across the borough. This coincides with an additional £200k being sought at tomorrow’s cabinet session for the implementation of the EV Strategy. At a national level, an insufficient number of high quality charging points has consistently been found to be a key barrier in preventing wider uptake of electric vehicles and this initiative begins to address this.
The locations of the EV charging points have been carefully considered based on whether there is a demand or expected future demand for electric vehicles in that area, or simply if residents don’t have access to their own off-street parking. The Council will continue to engage with residents to understand where there is appetite to improve the local charging infrastructure as it plans its next round of installations.
As well as the new installations, nine charge points installed in the north of the Borough under a previous EV car club project are being switched back on, providing even more options for residents who are looking to go electric.
The coming years will see a wider shift towards electric vehicles and the Council’s commitment to tackling climate change supports this. The Solihull Clean Air Strategy, adopted in 2019, ensures there is a process in place to continually improve air quality across the borough.
This project forms part of the Council’s wider UK Central Solihull programme which aims to deliver key infrastructure projects to support sustainable and inclusive growth.
Councillor Ken Hawkins, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Environment & Highways said:
“I’m delighted to see the roll out of the EV charging infrastructure and the opportunities that it will provide to residents who don’t have access to a private driveway. With electric vehicles set to become the ‘norm’ in the not too distant future it’s so important as a council that we provide opportunities to residents in a variety of accommodation types to be able to charge their electric vehicle locally and efficiently.
“I’d encourage everyone who’s thinking about purchasing an electric vehicle in the future to complete our resident engagement survey hosted on https://www.solihull.gov.uk/About-the-Council/Electric-Vehicle-Strategy; and tell us how as a council we can help you overcome any barriers you may be facing. Getting feedback from residents across the borough on where they would like EV charging points really helps to inform us about where we should target our efforts.
Cllr Andy Mackiewicz, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Climate Change, Planning & Housing said:
“The installation of EV charging points across the borough is a vital part of our Electric Vehicle Strategy and the desire to achieve net zero emissions in Solihull by 2041. Transport emissions make up approximately 39% of the borough’s carbon emissions. Installing these EV charging points is a great start in our commitment to reduce this figure.
“It was only last month when Jaguar Land Rover, a major employer in the borough, announced it will become an all-electric brand from 2025. With plans in place to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030 its imperative to get ahead of the transition and invest significantly in our charging infrastructure.
“The timing of this rollout couldn’t be better with the launch of the Green Paper for our Net Zero Action Plan last week. The delivery of this infrastructure shows we’re serious about tackling the climate emergency head on with policy quickly being followed by on the ground action. We’re inviting residents to help shape our action plan in achieving net zero emissions and they can find out more and get involved by visiting https://netzerosolihull.co.uk/.