Electric vehicle (EV) charging boost for County Durham

Residents are set to benefit from a major new scheme to improve electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in County Durham. Durham County Council is working in partnership with Zest to identify an additional 250 charging locations across the county.

Supporting people to choose electric

With 40 per cent of residents in County Durham not having a driveway, the project aims to encourage those people to choose electric vehicles.

The project is being supported by a grant of more than £4 million from the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) scheme, while Zest will also invest more than £7 million to provide and operate the charge points, systems and long-term provision of the service.

Meeting ambitious targets

Cllr Mark Wilkes, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and climate change, said: “We are delighted to be able to expand our EV infrastructure across the county. It really is important that we can offer residents more charging points as a better, more accessible network will make it easier for people to drive an electric vehicle.
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In addition, by working together we can meet our ambitious targets to reduce emissions by 80 per cent over the next three years and achieve net zero across the county by 2045. We are committed to not only meeting this aim but continuing our work with our partners to look for further opportunities to expand our green infrastructure.”

Robin Heap, CEO and Founder of Zest, said: “The combination of investment from LEVI and Zest enables forward-looking local authorities like Durham to deliver ambitious EV projects for all residents. It should be seen as a blueprint for a more equitable approach to strategic infrastructure.

For us, it’s part of an ongoing strategy to provide convenient charging that synchronises with peoples’ everyday lives - wherever they usually park. We look forward to working alongside the Durham team for years to come.”

The first phase of the charging points installation is set to start in September.
For more information on the project, visit www.durham.gov.uk/electricvehicles