As part of its efforts to reduce transport emissions in the drive for net zero, Bath & North East Somerset Council is installing new electric vehicle (EV) charge points.

Thirty new charging bays are being installed at eight locations across the district including 16 rapid (50kW) and 14 fast (22kW) public charging bays.

Cllr Sarah Warren, deputy leader and cabinet member for Climate and Sustainable Travel, said: ‘We have to become less reliant on fossil fuels if we are to achieve our net zero target, and a shift to electric vehicles will help us do that. But if we are to encourage people to make the switch it’s vital we have the infrastructure in place to make charging your vehicle simple and convenient. That’s why we bid for this funding and why I want to see more charge points installed in our communities.

‘We’ve also committed significant investment to green our vehicle fleet by switching to electric models where possible. We currently have 30 electric vehicles including small vans, street cleansing machines and sweepers, but with the increase in availability of larger electric vans, specialist vehicles and HGVs, such as electric refuse and recycling collection lorries, we plan to green more of our fleet as the vehicles become due for replacement.’

Funding to install EV charging points across our region has been awarded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) to the West of England Local Authorities as part of Go Ultra Low West (GULW) project. Approximately 120 new EV charging bays are being installed as part of the Revive vehicle charging network.