West Sussex has reached a major milestone in the expansion of its public EV charging network, with more than 1,000 live charging sockets now available across the county.
In November 2021, West Sussex County Council signed its contract with delivery partner Connected Kerb, with work on the first installations beginning in mid-2022.
Since then, the council has worked alongside district and borough councils to expand the West Sussex Chargepoint Network, particularly supporting residents who do not have access to off-street parking.
The latest figures show the network continuing to grow, with 1,030 sockets now recorded across West Sussex.
Since May 2022, the network has recorded about 77,000 charging sessions involving approximately 14,000 users, with around 1.79 million kWh of energy supplied through the charge points.
The roll out of the charge points is facilitated by the Government-funded Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Pilot Scheme, which is supporting the expansion of on-street charging.
As part of the programme, active charge points are being installed alongside passive underground infrastructure that can support additional sockets in the future.
Potential charge point locations are identified through an evidence-led process that considers factors including local charging need, resident and council input, parking availability, accessibility, highway safety and technical feasibility.
Cllr Natasha Davie, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said, “As a council, we want residents to have access to the infrastructure they need to support cleaner transport choices.
“Expanding the public charging network is an important part of that, helping to reduce transport emissions, improve air quality, reduce noise pollution, and ultimately protect our environment across West Sussex.”
