First ever EV policy for Darlington
Our first ever Electric Vehicle (EV) policy is now live on our website.
Our policy aims to explore some of the concerns about owning and charging an EV and looks at working towards finding effective and safe solutions to help more people enjoy the benefits of owning an EV.
Ownership and use of electric vehicles is increasing as people look to play their part in tackling climate change and air pollution. It’s predicted that in five years’ time, there will be 50,000 plug-in vehicles in the Tees Valley. The council is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2040 and part of that ambition includes increasing the use of EVs over the coming years.
New house builds are now required to offer an EV charging point and there are many options available for people who have driveways and need to install a charging point. However, some of the borough’s houses do not have a driveway to charge their EV at home. Cables stretched across the street or channels dug into pavements are not suitable solutions to this.
Accessible community charging points will help to solve this issue as will the increasing number of charging points at workplaces and supermarket car parks, for example. Faster charging technology will mean that an EV can be charged up whilst the owner does their weekly shop. It is anticipated that some of these will be funded by central government through Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) which will be accessed through the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA).
Councillor Libby McCollom, our cabinet member for local services, said:
“If you already own an EV or are thinking of buying one, there are many things to consider. "How far will it go before it needs recharging?" and “Where can I recharge my vehicle?" are important questions.
“Our new EV policy looks at these considerations and explores possible solutions. We’ve already worked with TVCA to install around 50 charging points across seven of our town centre off-street car parks, offering more choices for where you can charge your car.
“Technology is constantly changing, and we will update our policy as needed.”
Details of town centre car park charging points and how to use them (you must also buy a valid parking ticket) are available online