A new partnership between South Tyneside Council and Connected Kerb is set to deliver up to 2,100 charge points over the next 20 years, boosting the region’s charging infrastructure by 126%.
Work on the project will begin in the next month, marking it the single largest installation of public EV charge points in the North of England.
About 80% of the chargers will be operational in the next two years, increasing the number of council-operated chargers in South Tyneside more than 30-fold.
The North East currently hosts around 2.7% of the UK’s public charging infrastructure, despite being home to nearly 4% of the population.
The first phase of the installation will take place over at least 41 sites, including community centres, sports facilities and libraries such as Monkton Stadium, The Word and the Customs House Mill Dam car park.
A total of 43 existing charge points will be upgraded, increasing reliability and network uptime for users.
The move supports South Tyneside Council’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and become a carbon neutral authority by 2030.
Councillor Ernest Gibson, lead member for neighbourhoods and climate change at South Tyneside Council, said, “The entire country is undergoing a massive shift in ways in which we travel, and we are committed to ensuring that South Tyneside plays its part.
“With the first chargers expected to be in the ground by the end of March, we are committed to giving more residents the confidence they need to make the switch to electric, whilst supporting our sustainability agenda.
“Our partnership with Connected Kerb – enabling the largest rollout of EV chargers in the North East – provides a blueprint for other councils right across the UK to follow.”
