The Welsh Government has set out its EV Charging Action Plan setting outs how it aims to invest in infrastructure and working with the private sector to give people in Wales “the confidence to make the switch to electric vehicles”.
It aims to deliver a charging point facility for every 20 miles of the strategic trunk network across Wales by 2025, which it says will provid further reassurance to electric vehicle drivers.
“With already more than 1,000 public charging points across Wales, one for every six battery electric vehicles, the plans set out an approach to ensure that the number of charging points continue to grow to meet increasing demand as fossil fuel vehicles are phased out,” it says.
“We need to do more in the next ten years than we’ve done in the last thirty if we’re to reach our NetZero target by 2050,” said Deputy Minister for Climate Change, with a responsibility for transport, Lee Waters. “Changing the car dependency culture that has been created in the past and encouraging more people to use public transport will be key, but for those essential car journeys, making the switch to an electric vehicle is another way we can make a difference.
“The plan… sets out the action we will be taking to deliver high quality electric vehicle infrastructure across Wales. Working with the private sector we have ambitious plans in place to increase the number of charging points across the country, so drivers feel confident to make the switch as demand for electric vehicles increases.”
The Welsh Government says its Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle Transformation Fund has already provided a “kick-start” for many EV projects across Wales.
It points to Carmarthenshire Council being awarded a £350,000 grant to develop a rapid charging facility on the A48 in Cross Hands. The multi-point charging facility will serve one of the main tourist routes through Wales. The facility comprises five rapid chargers from 50kW to 150kW under a solar canopy with capacity for further expansion and is expected to be operational later this year.
The next round of ULEV funding will open for bids in December 2021. The fund will help local authorities deliver more than 300 publicly accessible fast and rapid charging points across Wales this financial year. There are also plans in place to increase both public and private sector delivery in line with the Welsh Government’s strategy in future years.
(Picture – Highways News)
