Darlington Borough Council has launched its first-ever electric vehicle (EV) policy.
The policy aims to address concerns about owning and charging an EV, and seeks to find ‘effective and safe solutions’ to encourage more people to enjoy the benefits of EV ownership.
As the ownership and use of electric vehicles continues to rise, the council says it is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2040.
Part of this ambition includes increasing the use of EVs over the coming years.
It is predicted that in five years’ time, there will be 50,000 plug-in vehicles in the Tees Valley.
Anthony Hewitt and Cllr Libby McCollom (Image: Darlington Council)
New house builds are now required to offer an EV charging point, and there are many options available for people who have driveways and need to install a charging point.
However, some of the borough’s houses do not have a driveway to charge their EV at home.
The council has stated that cables stretched across the street or channels dug into pavements are not suitable solutions to this.
Accessible community charging points will help to solve this issue, as will the increasing number of charging points at workplaces and supermarket car parks.
Faster charging technology will mean that an EV can be charged up whilst the owner does their weekly shop.
Councillor Libby McCollom, Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet member for local services, said: “If you already own an EV or are thinking of buying one, there are many things to consider.
“‘How far will it go before it needs recharging?’ and ‘Where can I recharge my vehicle?’ are important questions.
“Our new EV policy looks at these considerations and explores possible solutions.
“We’ve already worked with TVCA to install around 50 charging points across seven of our town centre off-street car parks, offering more choices for where you can charge your car.
“Technology is constantly changing, and we will update our policy as needed.”
The policy is available online at www.darlington.gov.uk/EVpolicy.
Details of town centre car park charging points and how to use them are available online at www.darlington.gov.uk/evparking.
