Electric vehicles and charging points

Why we need chargepoints

• 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 2030 onwards. Most manufacturers are already developing and selling electric vehicles to get ready for this change, and this switch means that more electric car chargepoints will be needed so that people can charge their cars easily.

Chargepoint locations

Charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) 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. 

To build our infrastructure we have been installing mainly 22kwh chargers, which cost 55p per kWh to use.

We have installed some rapid EV charge points at Belmont, Nevilles Cross, Newton Aycliffe and Barnard Castle. The rapid chargers cost 69p per kWh.

Drivers will be notified that they can move their vehicle once their car is fully charged. Between 8am and 8pm, they have one hour to move their vehicle to allow others to use the chargepoint. If the vehicle is not moved within an hour, they will be charged 5p per minute (£3 per hour) overstay to free the charger for another vehicle. 

ZapMap is a useful resource for finding chargepoints around the country. Please be aware that different chargepoint operators may have different pricing structures and require different software to access vehicle charging. Please check the requirements of any chargepoint you plan to use in advance.

• MER: electric vehicle chargepoint pricing

We are currently working on several projects to install more EV charge points. You can see the installed and proposed EV charge points on a map.

County Durham's Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Delivery Plan

We are working to ensure that enough chargepoints 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 chargepoints 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 chargepoints
• provide charging infrastructure for our fleet
• support appropriate private sector proposals for charging infrastructure

Benefits of electric vehicles

• Reduced pollution mile for mile, with the ability to have a true zero emission vehicle where renewable energy sources are used for recharging.
• Reduced cost of refuelling: it only costs around £8.40 to fully charge an electric vehicle with a 200 mile range at home. Find out information on the cost of charging an electric vehicle.
• Since the vehicles are almost silent, noise pollution is reduced, enhancing the tranquillity of the environment.
• The vehicles are exempt from road tax.
• 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.

Funding and finance

The government has made funding available to help support people to make the switch to electric vehicles.

• Currently, a Gov.uk: Plug in vehicle grants for a maximum of £2,500 is available to help people afford a new electric vehicle.
• Gov.uk: government grants for low emission vehicles are also available. The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme will cover up to 75% of the cost of a smart chargepoint for home use, and the Workplace Charging Scheme is available to help employers meet the cost of providing chargepoints.

In addition to benefitting from the grant on new electric vehicles, business owners pay lower benefit in kind rates on electric vehicles compared to petrol or diesel cars. Find out more about Company Electric Car Tax.

Planning requirements

Individual chargepoints come under permitted development rights, so do not need planning permission. Larger charging hubs, such as the Fastned Hub in Sunderland, are subject to planning.