Public charger network set to double in under-represented region of England

• 2,100 public chargers being installed by South Tyneside Council
• This will more than double the number of chargers in the north east from 1,631 at present
• The council-operated chargers will be installed at libraries and community centres
• 74% of motorists in Carwow poll don’t think the government is doing enough to support the transition to electric vehicles
• 59% of respondents in Carwow poll said the Government should be investing in improving EV infrastructure

An agreement to install 2,100 public chargers will more than double the number available to electric vehicle drivers in the most under-represented part of the UK – north east England – the equivalent to a 126% increase to the EV charging network in the area.

The council-operated chargers will initially be installed at over 41 public locations such as libraries and community centres in South Tyneside. 

The distribution of UK charging points by geographical area produced by Zapmap shows that at the end of February 2024, there were 1,631 chargers in the north east, compared to 18,927 in Greater London. The only part of the UK with less chargers was Northern Ireland with 549. 

South Tyneside Council aims to have 80% of its new chargers working within the next two years as part of its plans to be a carbon neutral authority by 2030.

Speaking as Lead Member for Neighbourhoods and Climate Change at South Tyneside Council, Cllr Ernest Gibson said: “With the first charger expected to be in the ground by the end of March, we are committed to giving more residents the confidence they need to make the switch to electric, whilst supporting our sustainability agenda.”

Meanwhile, in the Midlands, Solihull Council has announced it is installing 500 charging points in its car parks and on-street locations thanks to a £800,000 grant from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) project awarded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). This will more than double the borough’s existing EV charging capacity. The first 150 of the chargers are expected to be installed by this summer, including 16 ultra-rapid chargers.

Increasing the number of public charge points is an important part of the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). ‘More EV charging points’ was the top answer in a recent Carwow poll asking motorists what they wanted to see in the Spring Budget, with 74% saying they didn’t think the government was doing enough to support the transition to EVs.

The latest statistics from Zapmap ‘s database of UK chargers show a 47% net increase in the number of charging devices in the last 12 months to the end of February. At that date, there were 57,290 charge points at 32,575 locations across the UK.