Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole will soon have more than 130 new electric vehicle (EV) charger bays. The bays will be installed at multiple locations across the BCP Council area over the next year.

In phase one of the roll out, a mixture of new fast and rapid chargers will be installed at 34 council owned car parks this summer. Rapid chargers (50kW) will allow most electric cars to be charged from empty to 80 per cent in around 40 minutes. The fast chargers (22kW) will allow shoppers to fully charge their cars during a two-hour stay or a part charge during a shorter stay.

BCP Council’s portfolio holder for transport and sustainability Councillor Mike Greene, said: “This transformational step forward in the provision of EV charging infrastructure in our area is about making sure that we are prepared for the future.  The siting of these new chargers in public car parks means that they are easily accessible for local people who do not have charging points at their homes, as well as for visitors. With so many chargers spread across so much of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, there should be a charger nearby for everyone.

“Many drivers want to make the switch from their conventional petrol or diesel vehicles to electric but are worried about where they will be able to charge their cars when taking longer trips and visiting new areas. We are taking that worry away by providing a comprehensive network of publicly accessible chargers, with the potential to grow it still further over the next year or two.”

The new chargers will all be fully accessible to the public, making it easy for both locals and visiting EV owners to charge their vehicles whilst they visit nearby facilities.

Users will be able to pay via the Mer app, (downloadable onto smart phones); by using various roaming partners such as Zap Pay; or, when using a rapid charger, by tapping a contactless bank card reader on the charger itself.

For more information on BCP Council’s network of EV chargers visit https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/News/News-Features/Transforming-Travel/Sustainable-Transport-Initiatives/Electric-Vehicle-EV-Chargers.aspx