Cash for electric car facilities

More than £900,000 in government funding will be provided to boost the number of charging points for electric cars in the North West, the government has announced.

Cumbria County Council will receive £562,500 for new charging points, Cheshire East Council will receive £302,183, Hyndburn Council £26,250 and Pendle Council will receive £10,000.

Northern Rail has also been allocated £322,500 to install charging points in train station car parks.

Last year, Merseytravel received funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles for 126 charging points across Merseyside and West Cheshire, including train stations.

Major car manufacturers BMW, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Vauxhall are all backing the Go Ultra Low campaign in a partnership with the government to debunk common myths and misconceptions that put drivers off switching to electric or hybrid cars, such as cost and how far the vehicles can travel before being recharged. Electric car owners do not have to pay car tax or congestion charges and many chargepoints are free to use. The cars cost from just 2p a mile, which means a family that drives an electric vehicle 10,000 miles in a year would save around £1,000 on fuel costs each year.

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Great – but when did we see a Tesla, Leaf or alike on the streets of the NW. Few and far between. In London it makes sense but will this make a difference?

By John

I’ve seen several Leafs (or should that be Leaves :)) in Manchester this year, they are becoming more common. Even seen one in rural Cheshire. Don’t think Teslas are sold here yet! I reckon it will make a difference. There are lots of chargers in city car parks now, but there are not so many in more rural areas. If the Government wants to persude commuters to change then this might be one way to do it. Most diesel-users didn’t switch until they saw a pump at every other petrol station, and that had to be subsidised initially. Of course many commuters are able charge their car up cheaply at home overnight anyway, so they won’t need these chargers, but flat-owners need them!

By Andrew

I drive an Ampera, looks like a regular car so you may not notice it, but I’d love to see more charging points.

By Gary Davies

I drive an electrical car. I agree with Gary, the lack of electrical points is a massive issue. Help please, Central Government.

By Mark Worthington

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