Connected Kerb teams up with local council to power up North East EV charger rollout‍

‍Charge point operator and South Tyneside Council plan to install 2,100 chargers across the region

UK charge point operator Connected Kerb has announced plans to more than double the number of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in North East England, as part of a new joint venture with South Tyneside Council.

Connected Kerb said it will deploy up to 2,100 new charge points through its partnership with the council, in a move which it said would deliver the "single largest installation of public EV charge points in the North of England to date".

South Tyneside Council said the partnership would support its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and become a 'carbon neutral' authority by 2030.

The North East hosts just 2.7 per cent of the UK's public charging infrastructure, despite being home to more than four per cent of the UK's population. The partners estimate this equates to just 58 chargers per 100,000 people, compared with 193 in London, and provides further evidence of the "urgent need to level-up access to charge points across the region".

The rollout should represent a 126 per cent boost to the North East's existing network, with 2,100 additional chargers set to be installed across the region with work due to begin this month.

According to figures from Green Finance Institute, more than a third of UK drivers want to see more charging infrastructure before they make the switch to an EV. As such, Connected Kerb said its rollout of public charging infrastructure would play a key role in empowering drivers across the North East to get behind the wheel of an electric car.

"With millions of pounds available to local authorities from Government initiatives such as the LEVI Fund, councils are in the driving seat to take decisive, meaningful action to deploy charge points where their communities need them the most," said Chris Pateman-Jones, chief executive of Connected Kerb. "Our partnership with South Tyneside Council is yet another example of bold ambition turned into action."

The partners said they expect that 80 per cent of the new chargers will be operational within the next two years. The first phase of the installation will take place over at least 41 sites, including community centres, sports facilities, and libraries.

As part of the rollout, 43 existing charge points will also be upgraded, increasing reliability and network uptime for users. The original network currently has an operational uptime of 56 per cent, while the new network is expected to deliver an uptime of 99 per cent.

Cllr Ernest Gibson, Lead Member for Neighbourhoods and Climate Change at South Tyneside Council welcomed the news of the rollout. "The entire country is undergoing a massive shift in ways in which we travel, and we are committed to ensuring that South Tyneside plays its part," he said. "Our partnership with Connected Kerb - enabling the largest rollout of EV chargers in the North East - provides a blueprint for other councils right across the UK to follow."

Source: Businessgreen