Over the next two years, Birmingham City Council will roll out 394 ‘fast and rapid’ chargepoints around the city.
The council is investing £2.92 million in expanding its charger network, thanks to support from the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and its newly-procured Electric Vehicle (EV) Network Development Partner, ESB EV Solutions.
Chargers will initially be focused on the city centre to help with the electrification of its taxi fleet, but will also be available for the general public and local businesses to use.
Councillor Waseem Zaffar, Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment, said this was “huge news” for the city, as a “major step in supporting our climate emergency commitment to cut carbon emissions”.
“”What’s more, it will be a key driver in supporting the electrification of Birmingham’s taxi fleet which is a major step in us improving air quality in the city centre.
“This is a complete overhaul of our electric vehicle offering and I’m looking forward to seeing the first charging points being installed being later this year.”
Together with ESB EV Solutions, Birmingham City Council will develop and complete an EV charging strategy for the next 12 years. Assessments will be undertaken to ensure that they’re deployed in key locations, to meet the specific needs of all communities in the city and create a ‘truly city-wide EV charging system’.
Niall Hogan, head of ESB EV Solutions, said: “We are delighted to partner with Birmingham City Council to provide a public charging network for electric vehicle drivers throughout the city.
“Having worked with Transport for London and Coventry City Council, we can see the huge benefit of building a sustainable future for our cities. We look forward to supporting Birmingham and all of its citizens as they transition to low carbon motoring.”
