Bedford Borough Council, following a successful bid for over £96,000 to the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and in partnership with electric vehicle (EV) charging specialist Connected Kerb, is installing 30 EV charging points in streets across Bedford.
These electric vehicle charging points are being installed in five different streets across Bedford.
These are Russell Avenue near Russell Park, Oaklands Road off Kimbolton Road, Cutcliffe Grove off Bromham Road, Park Road West near Bedford Park, and Victoria Road off Ampthill Road.
The charging points will all be on-street to cater for residents who do not have their own driveways and so are unable to charge at home.
These installations are part of the Council’s ongoing efforts to support Bedford Borough’s transition to greener transport while working to improve local air quality.
These sites will help to shape the future of additional borough-wide charge point deployments.
Mayor Dave Hodgson said “No new diesel and petrol vehicles will be sold in the UK from 2030, in just 9 years’ time, and we need to get EV infrastructure in place to help residents to make this change.
“Through this successful grant application, we are able to install 30 charging points in five different parts of Bedford where houses do not generally have their own driveways.
“These points will join those already in place in Bedford and make it easier for people to start to shift away from traditional fossil-fuelled vehicles.
“Initially the spaces with the charging points will function as normal parking spaces and will not be reserved for electric vehicles, but we will keep this under review and if demand requires, this is something we can look to change, in partnership with the local community on those streets.”
CEO of Connected Kerb, Chris Pateman-Jones commented: “We’re thrilled to be working alongside Bedford on this forward-thinking project.
“The Council is showing crucial environmental stewardship in delivering a convenient on-street charging solution for its residents, one that we hope will show people that electric vehicles are a viable option and encourage them to switch.
“To date, people without driveways have been largely excluded from EV ownership, but with government bans on the horizon and more people looking to transition from polluting vehicles, on-street charging solutions become increasingly important. Bedford is leading the way in this regard.”
Find out more at www.bedford.gov.uk/electricvehicles
These charging points are expected to be open and available for use by the end of March.
