The City Council was awarded £478,000 government funding in March 2017 to help fulfil a long term plan to grow the number of electric taxis in the city.
The government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has since confirmed that electric charging network can also be made available for public use.
The funding comes at a time when the government has announced its plan to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2040.
Phase One of the project has identified six key locations across the city where the new BP ‘Chargemaster’ charging points will be installed. The locations are:
- Birch Street
- Clifton Street Car Park
- Market Street
- Park Road West
- Princess Street Taxi Rank
- Red Hill Street
The new charging points are set to be installed and open for use this summer.
The introduction of electric cars in the city will have significant environmental benefits such as a reduction in vehicles’ exhaust emissions to help improve air quality, reduced carbon emissions, and a reduction in traffic noise.
Colin Parr, Head of Business Services at City of Wolverhampton Council said: “I’m pleased to announce our new partnership with BP chargemaster to welcome and encourage the use of electric vehicles in the city.
“It’s exciting to see work underway in preparation for the increasing demand in electric vehicles.
“The move towards electric vehicles will improve air quality, reduce noise on our roads and benefit public health.
“The new charging points will also inevitably attract more drivers to visit, live and work in Wolverhampton and will therefore benefit the local economy.”
Tamara Bowitz, Account and Business Development Manager at BP Chargemaster said: “BP Chargemaster is pleased to be partnering with City of Wolverhampton Council to install 6 rapid (50kW) electric vehicle charging points.
“These will allow residents and visitors to charge their vehicles securely, safely and quickly to keep electric vehicles on the road around the City of Wolverhampton.’’
Once Phase 1 is complete, the City of Wolverhampton Council will be working to identify further sites to install additional charging points in the city.
