City set to provide network of charge points for electric cars

In addition to the 12 charging points already located across York, a network of pay-as-you-go charging points will be placed in city centre car parks and park and ride sites for use by residents and visitors.

The network will be installed by York Council and will have a simple payment system so that users can pay by phone in a similar way drivers currently pay for parking in council-owned car parks.

It will be put in place in the coming months and when the system is up and running users can track all their energy usage remotely and see live availability of charge points from their mobile phones.

It has been estimated that between 94 and 163 people die prematurely in York each year because of poor air quality, prompting senior politicians to dub pollution as the city’s “invisible killer”.

Coun Dave Merrett, the council’s cabinet member for transport, planning and sustainability, said yesterday: “Decarbonising transport is crucial to meeting the UK’s climate change CO2 reduction target.

“Electric cars only cost about two pence per mile to run and create no harmful emissions, so by bringing charging points to the city we are giving the people of York the potential to save money and travel more sustainably.”

The charging point cables are secured behind a locking flap which guards against cable theft when charging.

Charging points, being rolled out at the York Designer Outlet, supermarkets and hotels in the city, can add a 30-mile range to a vehicle’s battery within half an hour of use.

The council is giving people a chance to find out about the latest technology at an event at the south entrance of York Designer Outlet on Wednesday, April 10, 10.30– 4pm, featuring electric supercar the Tesla Roadster. There will also be other models on display and fun activities for families, including test drives.

Coun Merrett added: “York is really leading the way in embracing electric vehicles, so we are excited to be holding an event to celebrate the technology and share it with the public.”