Ben Houchen, the conservative Mayor of Tees Valley announced his plans to invest £2 million into the electric vehicle (EV) market within the Tees Valley area. This comes off the back of a £40 million project to upgrade various transport methods across Teesside in the next few years.
While this was announced via the Mayor’s twitter account there is plenty of further reading about the proposed plans readily available via the internet.
An overview of the proposal indicated that a survey will be conducted to determine the best locations for the installation of EV charging stations. Could it be that the rise in EV sales in 2019 has pushed higher-ups in Teesside to promote EV’s in their area and drive down carbon footprint?
In May 2019, car manufacturer Renault invited Tees Valley business leaders to a free EV event. The event was focused on discussing upcoming legislation changes and the growth of the zero-emission market. Renault aimed to educate on the benefits that electric vehicles bring to a business environment in an increasingly ‘green power’ orientated culture. This event potentially pushed council members to consider the greener future of the Tees Valley area.
While there is little in-depth information as to how the £2 million investment into EV’s will be spent, it is likely it will be used to install new stations and maintain/repair ones that are already in place. According to the Zap Map, there are around 60 charging points across the Tees Valley. However, some of these stations have reported faults and repeat issues which need addressing to be up to users’ standards.
Over the coming year, we will begin to see plans and hopefully swift action into the EV transport investment. It is likely that as officials spend more time locking down plans for the investment, that more information will become available to the general public about what changes they can expect to see in the Tees Valley.
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