New Electric Vehicle Charging Points get the Green Light

Eight electric vehicle charging posts are to be installed across Adur and Worthing as Councils step up efforts to encourage sustainable transport systems.

The posts in four publicly-owned car parks are expected to be installed in the first half of this year as the first step to an area-wide network of posts that can be added to by businesses and other organisations.

The sale of petrol and diesel cars will be banned in Britain by 2040 meaning everyone will have to switch to electric vehicles. Hybrid are not included in the ban.

The move is aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and to cut air polluting  quantities of nitrogen oxide being pumped into the air affecting public health.

The government has said poor air quality is “the greatest risk to public health in the UK”.

As part of the Councils’ response to the move the authorities have decided to authorise eight charging posts; Two in the High Street multi-storey car park in Worthing, two in Brooklands Western Road car park, two in Worthing Civic Centre car park and two at the Pond Road car park at the the Shoreham Centre.

The network will be open so that anyone with an electric car can plug in, there will be no car park charges and the charge session will only costs £1.50 an hour.

Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, Cllr Diane Guest, said; “This is a small step along the right road. We need to move to cleaner air vehicles but we need to give people and businesses the infrastructure to have confidence to take the next step towards electric transportation.”

Adur District Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, Cllr Emma Evans, said, “We support the government’s move to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles and will do what we can over the next few years to support the development of cleaner air technologies.”

The existence of a charging post network is also thought to be vital in the coming decades to aid tourism as more visitors with electric cars seek out destinations that have proper networks.

It is expected the first charging post will be in place before the Spring.