CORNWALL Council are asking residents for their thoughts on potential locations for electric vehicle charging points.  

The council has been provisionally allocated £5.5m from the Department for Transport’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to further boost the county’s EV charging network. 

To make the most of the funding available, the Council is looking to communities for suggestions – residents, community groups, town and parish councils are all being asked to help. 

Richard Williams-Pears, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for transport, said: “The number of charge points needs to keep pace with the rise in electric vehicle ownership, which is set to increase over the next ten years as the ban on new diesel and petrol engines draws near. 

“We want to develop Cornwall’s network of public charge points to complement commercial networks and will be primarily looking at installing units on council-owned land. This will include both on and off-street locations, with chargers offering varying speeds and costs to meet the needs of drivers. 

“We’re looking for suggestions on where chargers might be needed – and our focus is on lower powered ‘destination’ chargers to support EV drivers without access to home charges and where the private sector unlikely to install their own.” 

Across the county, there are currently more than 450 charging spots available.  

Martyn Alvey, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio for the environment, said: “Cornwall Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, signalling an ambition for Cornwall to strive towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030. 

“Road transport accounts for almost a quarter of Cornwall’s carbon emissions and it’s clear that we all have a role in cutting this figure to help protect the environment and improve air quality. 

“The infrastructure has to be in place for people to be able to consider making the switch to electric vehicles, which is why we want to hear from residents about where chargers are most needed.” 

Cornwall Council is also looking to discuss the the possibility of installing electric vehicle charging points on town council or parish council land which they own or lease from Cornwall Council.