Drivers of electric vehicles in the city have more opportunity to charge their cars outside their homes as the latest round of installations of on-street electric charge points has been completed.
The council has also installed a rapid charger for taxis and private hire vehicles to use in Stubbington Avenue, as part of an ongoing project that plans to install nine rapid chargers in car parks across the city including the Park and Ride, D-Day museum in Southsea, Cosham and the city centre to help people who drive for a living to also choose electric vehicles.
62 new on-street charge points have been installed as a result of over £200,000 funding received from the Office for Zero Emissions (OZEV) and have been installed by new charge point infrastructure partner, JoJu Charging. They add to the network of 36 charge points already installed with ubitricity.
Cllr Lynne Stagg, Cabinet Member for Traffic & Transportation, said: "We've seen plenty of interest in electric vehicles locally, from both residents and the taxi and private hire trade. We hope that the ability to charge outside your own home as a domestic user, or rapidly as part of your day as a trade user, will be a great incentive to join the revolution and reduce emissions further.
"When the time comes to replace your existing vehicle, we are making it easier for you to consider an electric vehicle, even if you don't have a driveway. Whilst we understand they are not the complete solution for removing harmful emissions, they do produce much lower levels of pollution and have a place in making our air cleaner, alongside limiting unnecessary car journeys, taking the bus, walking, cycling or renting an e-scooter."
Chas Warlow from Joju Charging said: It’s great to be working with Portsmouth City Council to help residents and local taxi drivers charge their electric vehicles, with this leading ‘pay-as you-go’ solution across the city”.
Martin Hoy who uses the charge points says: "We took a leap of faith buying an electric vehicle, but I wouldn't go back. We've become a one car family with my wife and I sharing the car. When I don't drive to work I cycle instead. I've also taken the car on longer journeys across the country and it's been easy to use and charge on the go."
Many houses in Portsmouth do not have access to a driveway or garage to charge off street. The city is the first to install charge points on-street, using a unique solution of pay-as-you-go lamp column supplied charging which is accessed via designated parking bays.
The new charging points can be found in a range of locations across the city and have been installed based on resident requests. You can see full details of where they are located on the website: https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/
You can also request a charge point in your street
