Funding has been secured to install 52 EV charging points in seven locations across west Norfolk this autumn, in car parks near residential areas that have little or no off-street parking.
The 7kW fast chargers will be installed in car parks owned by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk at sites in Burnham Market, Hunstanton and King’s Lynn.
Free parking will be provided between 6pm and 8am when a vehicle is charging overnight and the electricity used will be paid for using an app.
The borough council secured a grant of £195,000 from the government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) for the project and a further contribution of nearly £90,000 from BP Pulse, as well as its own contribution of £73,500.
The council has also spent a further £87,000 to install a substation at Austin Street in King’s Lynn to support the electricity supply and BP Pulse will cover the maintenance costs for seven years.
Cllr Paul Kunes, cabinet member for the environment said: “The borough of King’s Lynn and west Norfolk is fully committed to playing its part in tackling climate change and has already taken many steps on its own net zero journey. We are also committed to helping our community to do the same.
“There are many factors in making the decision to go electric and access to charging facilities is one of them. Lack of off-street parking at home can pose a barrier but we are removing that by making nearby charging facilities available.
“This means it will be easier for people to make an environmentally-friendly choice when buying a vehicle and it will also benefit our visitors who arrive in electric vehicles.”