South Tyneside Council has entered a planned 20-year partnership with Connected Kerb to deliver 2,000 new charge points across the borough.
The partnership will see all of its 59 old charge point units replaced with Connected Kerb’s on-street chargers, with the addition of the new on street public charging points.
Roll out is expected to begin in the new year with plans to install chargers at 20 locations over the first two years.
Charge points will be installed across key residential, commercial and retail locations.
Under the new model, Connected Kerb will be responsible for the management, maintenance and operation of the charging points.
One of the main changes will be introducing a tariff for electricity consumption, which is currently subsidised by the Council at a cost of £200,000 per year, having seen a 70 per cent increase in use and consumption between 2021 and 2022 alone.
The Council is currently negotiating with Connected Kerb over a modest pricing structure for users as well as the locations for the new electric vehicle charging points.
Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb, said, “To date, the installation of charge points in the North East has been slower than other regions, but this partnership demonstrates what’s possible when the right partners come together – rapid delivery to the areas that need them the most.”
Councillor Ernest Gibson, Lead Member for Neighbourhoods and Climate Change, said, “This new operational model is a huge step change for South Tyneside. It will greatly expand our existing charging infrastructure, providing a more reliable, modern comprehensive system while giving us scope to expand the network to meet future demand as more people turn to using electric vehicles.”
