EV owners in South Gloucestershire are now able to charge their vehicles at the Bristol and Bath Science Park (BBSP).
The Council has installed an electric vehicle (EV) charging hub, complete with a solar canopy, at the BBSP in Emersons Green, as part of the Revive vehicle charging network.
Delivered as part of the Go Ultra Low West (GULW) project, the new charging hub supports our climate ambitions by offering cheaper, cleaner and greener fuel at a convenient location for local commuters, commercial vehicles, those travelling on longer journeys and visitors to the area. To use the charge points, users can sign up to Revive at www.revivecharging.net
The hub features 12 charging bays hosting six EV charge points – five rapid (50kW) and one fast (7-22kW). The hub also includes a bespoke ground-mounted solar canopy that covers the charging bays. This innovative structure provides weather protection and shelter to users whilst utilising solar panels to provide renewable and green electricity.
Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Environment and Strategic Infrastructure, Cllr Steve Reade, said: “South Gloucestershire Council has recognised the important role it plays in supporting growth in electric vehicles in our region and this new charging hub is a great starting point.
“We want to help people adopt greener travel choices and we encourage the use of electric vehicles as part of the mix of more sustainable options available. We are also demonstrating that we are serious with our climate change goals and it is hoped that these improvements will give residents and businesses the confidence to invest in electric vehicles and in turn to help lower carbon emissions.
“As electric vehicles become more and more popular, we will continue to explore options for further public charging locations across the region.”
Funding to install EV charging points across our region has been awarded to the Go Ultra Low West (GULW) partnership by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
Transport Minister Rachel Maclean said: “We want to make it as easy to charge your car as it is to fill up a fuel tank with petrol, which is why I’m delighted to see this impressive EV charging hub opening in South Gloucestershire.
“Government investment is helping to make this dream a reality and as we accelerate towards cleaner and greener transport across the UK, there has never been a better time to make the switch.”
Working alongside the other West of England authorities, approximately 120 EV charging bays will be installed as part of the Revive network, with 40 of these located across South Gloucestershire.
The BBSP EV charging hub has been installed during the first phase of our roll-out of Revive EV charging points, with future plans to upgrade the publicly available charging network by adding more sites across the area.
Using GULW funding, we also hope to support other areas including Staple Hill, Mangotsfield, Cribbs Causeway and Filton. Moving beyond the GULW funded sites we are working to better understand future demand and what our role will be to satisfy these needs. We are determined to maintain progress and are already investigating additional sites in locations such as Frampton Cotterell and Marshfield.
An influx of investment is already helping to deliver essential EV infrastructure and by working together with the private sector we hope to ensure that we continue to deliver significant improvements to the EV charging experience over the next few years.
The private sector is beginning to provide greater access to rapid charging points and we see our role as a local authority to pro-actively encourage private sector investment in order to offer a more comprehensive EV charging network across the region. We want to demonstrate true leadership in promoting green mobility solutions and have already seen tangible success in pushing for private sector commitments in key locations such as Longwell Green, Frenchay and Bradley Stoke.
For more information about GULW visit https://travelwest.info/goultralowwest
