Fylde Borough Council, working with partners EB Charging and alongside five neighbouring authorities as part of the Lancaster Consortium headed by Lancaster City Council, has launched four rapid electric vehicle (EV) charge points for public use. The new devices are located in Lytham Station, North Promenade, Pleasant Street and Wood Street car parks.
The scheme – supported by funding from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) – comprises 50kW DC ‘rapid’ chargers capable of delivering up to 175 miles of range in an hour’s charge, situated in public car parks around the borough. Specially marked bays and signage have also been installed adjacent to the charge points.
The charging points were installed with funding specifically aimed at encouraging taxis to convert to electric, with the charging points giving confidence to taxi drivers that they will be able to recharge whilst on duty.
Whilst currently there aren’t many electric taxis in operation in the area, these charging points will be available for everyone to use until the taxi demand increases. The charging points will then be limited to licensed taxis only and prior notification of this will be given.
The work to install charge points followed a twenty-five vehicle telematics analysis programme of local taxis with EB Charging, in which habitual driving data – including emissions and dwelling hot spots – were dissected. Undertaking such analysis programmes enables a comprehensive and informed planning process to install the right charger in the right location, based on predictive usage indicators and future uptake.
Councillor Roger Small, Chair of the Operational Management Committee for Fylde Council said: “This is a fantastic step forward in reducing emissions in the borough and encouraging the use of electric vehicles.
Having provisions for charging will hopefully give taxi drivers, residents and visitors the confidence to drive electric vehicles knowing that the option of a rapid charge, should they need it, is available.
I look forward to many more steps in this direction to a greener borough.”
Managing Director of EB Charging, Alex Calnan, commented: “Fylde Borough Council have made a significant commitment to reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality across the region, and we are delighted to partner with the Council on their journey. Increasing the availability of rapid charging infrastructure in public spaces, close to other transport hubs, makes driving an EV a realistic and convenient option for local people and business fleets.”
Drivers can find and pay for the new rapid chargers using the EB Go! app (available to download for free from the App Store and Google Play). Drivers can also search for the EB Charging network via charge point search maps such as Zap-Map. Parking and kWh tariff information is included within these search and payment apps.
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For more information regarding this press release please contact the Communications and PR office on communications@fylde.gov.uk or call 01253 658659
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