Devon Climate Emergency partners are 'leading the charge'

A digital map displaying the 403 electric vehicle (EV) charging bays currently being delivered by Devon's councils has been added to the Devon Climate Emergency website.

The map has been released as global leaders meet in Glasgow for the much-anticipated COP26 climate summit.

All the parking bays will be delivered by December 2022. They will be for public use and spread over 168 locations throughout the county.

The map shows that two bays for electric vehicle charging are planned for the Orchard Road car park in Seaton, and two for Central car park in Beer, set to be delivered by June 2022.

There are also plans for two bays at the West Street (Co-op) car park in Axminster, also to be delivered by June 2022.

The delivery of a network of EV chargers is a key part of the Carbon Plan being drawn up by Devon Climate Emergency (DCE), a partnership of councils, public bodies, voluntary and business groups.

To ensure that Devon becomes net-zero by 2050 at the latest, emissions generated by vehicles must be reduced – 27 per cent of all carbon emissions in Devon are generated by on-road transportation.

The bays listed include both on street and off-street car park-based facilities, some of which are already operational, being delivered by DCE partners.

These partners include Dartmoor National Park, Devon County Council, Exeter City Council, West Devon Borough Council, East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, and Torridge District Councils and Torbay and Plymouth City Council unitary authorities.

The icons on the map are colour-coded to inform the public of the operational status of each facility and location. By clicking on an icon, it will also reveal when it is due to be activated if it is not already in service.

Included are the 150 on-street charging bays are being delivered by Rapid Charging Devon, a consortium of private sector companies and Devon County Council. This project is funded by Innovate UK and some sites will include a hireable electric Co-car.

A further 150 charging bays are within district-council owned car parks and form part of the Deletti project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The project is a partnership of district councils and Devon County Council.

Half of these EV charging points will be online by next June and the remainder by December 2022.

Also listed are facilities councils have delivered  independent of the Deletti project; Exeter City Council for instance has 14 charging bays across six sites in the city, and Plymouth City Council has 42 bays across 14 car parks.

Mid Devon District Council has installed eight charging bays across its three leisure centres in the district and the multi-storey car park in Tiverton.  

And in another partnership Devon County Council, Teignbridge District Council and South Hams District Council installed 'rapid' charge points at Chudleigh Library car park, Buckfastleigh's Mardle Way car park and at Ivybridge's Glanvilles Mill car park.

These were funded by Highways England and provide six charging bays in total.

Dartmoor National Park Authority has installed two fast charging bays at the Haytor Visitor Centre.

All of the sites are/will be available for the general public to use.

The map will be frequently updated as partners plan and install more charge points.

For the definitive map of all electric vehicle charging bays in Devon and the UK, use a dedicated charge point mapping service like Zap Map.

Dr Phil Norrey, chairman of the Devon Climate Emergency Response Group, said: "To reduce carbon emissions, it is vital that we embrace the use of EVs.

"This was recognised at the recent Citizen's Assembly when one of the most heavily supported recommendations was that Devon's local authorities needed to deliver a network of charge points to help people make that transition.

"These charging points are an example of Devon's local authorities working together to ensure that this vital infrastructure is put in place."

Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council's Cabinet member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, said: "The government has committed to banning the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030, and we and our partners are planning for that future.

"By delivering these charge points it will give people the confidence to begin using electric cars with the knowledge that they are able to charge their vehicles when they need to.

"The charge points listed here are just the beginning of what will be an extensive network of facilities for the public to use throughout Devon."