Electric Vehicle charging points and Kerbo projects

The climate emergency impacts everyone around the world and because of this, EV cars are growing in popularity. The numbers increase annually and in order to adapt to this we are working hard to make charging accessible to all. Charging points for electric vehicles have now been installed across the county with more points planned over the next few years.

Why electric vehicles are important

We declared a climate emergency in February 2019.

The government have committed the UK to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. This means that any carbon emissions released by energy, industry, or transport will need to be offset, for example, by planting trees or carbon capture and storage.

To help get the UK's carbon emissions from cars as close to zero as possible, the government has announced a commitment that no new petrol or diesel cars or vans will be sold from 2035 onwards. Most manufacturers are already developing and selling electric vehicles to get ready for this change, and this switch means that more electric car charge points will be needed so that people can charge their cars easily.

The benefits of Electric Vehicles

• Reduced cost of refuelling: On average, it only costs around £8.40 to fully charge, overnight at home, an electric vehicle with a 200 mile range. Find out information on Pod Point: Cost of charging EV cars.
• The vehicles are currently exempt from road tax and congestion charges.
• Electric motors have very few moving parts and don't need engine oil, anti-freeze, or transmission fluid, so they require relatively little maintenance and can drive a greater number of lifetime miles than petrol or diesel vehicles.
• Convenience: Fuelling up your car can be done in the comfort of your home; many choose to charge up while they sleep. And charge points are becoming more accessible for those who don't have space at home, there are many around County Durham meaning you could also charge up while doing your shopping or at work.
• Reduced pollution mile for mile, with the ability to have a true zero emission vehicle where renewable energy sources are used for recharging.
• Since the vehicles are almost silent, noise pollution is reduced, enhancing the tranquillity of the environment.

Charge point locations

Charging points for electric vehicles have been installed across the county with more points planned over the next few years to meet demand as the number of electric vehicles on our roads grows. Many new developments will also be required to include electric vehicle charging points.

As of 2023, over 150 charge points (300 sockets) have been installed (or are about to be installed) across County Durham. Furthermore, the council has recently won over £4 million from Government, to install a further 250 charge points (500 sockets), both fast and rapid chargers. There has been a significant focus on installing these charge points where they will be accessible to communities without off street parking. This focus will continue; however, we do welcome residents coming forward and asking about charge points and suggesting locations to EVCharging@durham.gov.uk.

ZapMap is a useful resource for finding charge points around the country. Please be aware that different charge point operators may have different pricing structures and require different software to access vehicle charging. Please check the requirements of any charge point you plan to use in advance. We update our information regularly to ensure it is accurate, including cost per kWh.

Drivers will be notified that they can move their vehicle once their car is fully charged. Between 8.00am and 8.00pm, you have one hour to move your vehicle to allow others to use the charge point. If the vehicle is not moved within an hour, you will be charged 5p per minute (£3 per hour) overstay to free the charger for another vehicle.

Some helpful information:

• MER: How to use electric charging points
• MER: Electric vehicle charge point pricing

County Durham's Electric Vehicle ChargePoint Delivery Plan

We are working to ensure that enough charge points are available in County Durham in preparation for an uptake of more people driving electric cars and vans. We have prepared a ChargePoint Delivery Plan for increasing the number of charge points in County Durham.

The plan contains four key actions for increasing electric vehicle uptake in the county:

• leading by example
• develop a network of public charge points
• provide charging infrastructure for our fleet
• support appropriate private sector proposals for charging infrastructure

Current projects

The LEVI project has secured £4.3 million in funding and is now underway. In partnership with Zest UK, we will install 250 electric vehicle charging points (EVCPs) across County Durham over the next three years. This will include 190 fast chargers (22kW) and 60 rapid chargers (50kW), with the potential to upgrade to 120kW where conditions allow. Additionally, we are applying for further funding through the North East Combined Authority (NECA), with a bid of £3 million from our council to install up to 200 more EVCPs on housing association land for public use.

Several current projects are nearing completion, including:

• DOC's Project: 39 charge points (£700,000).
• Derwent Valley Project: 7 charge points (£122,000).

In September 2024, we launched the Level Up Fund Project with £516,000 funding, which will add 16 more chargers across the county.

The KerboCharge Pilot, which involved 26 installations, concluded on 1 May 2024. We are now preparing a report to investigate the pilot, and lessons learnt. Next steps are being planned as we are seeking approval for an on-street charging solution for residents in County Durham.

Finally, progress continues with fleet charging installations, aiming to enable more than 20 additional vehicles to charge simultaneously at the Meadowfield depot and other sites across the county.