Let’s make Electric Car Drivers welcome
Buxton’s economy depends on people travelling into the town from the surrounding area for shopping and access to services, and to visitors from further afield coming as staying or day visitors.
Figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that electric car sales in the UK have risen dramatically – the number of pure electric cars on the road increased from 3,500 in 2013 to more than 164,100 by the end of September 2020 and over 373,600 plug-in models including plug-in hybrids. With new models and increasingly affordable options this trend is set to continue, so it is vital to provide simple electric car charge points to service this growing market. By October 2020 there were more than 12,400 charging locations, 19,700 charging devices and 34,400 connectors.
http://www.nextgreencar.com/electric-cars/statistics/
Electric car charge points are unobtrusive. They increase the likelihood of discerning consumers visiting the location and businesses in the vicinity of the chargers. Grants are available to subsidise the already fairly low cost of installation. As detailed in the map below, Buxton and the Peak District are behind the curve in providing the facilities to allow electric car drivers to visit and feel welcome although some new ones have been added recently. If we want this growing group to visit us or to break their journey (and spend their money) we need to provide the facilities they require.
Transition Buxton has put together this letter to try to encourage operators and owners of premises with car parking facilities to respond to this opportunity. There are three main types of charge point which are described in this paper.
With thanks to https://www.zap-map.com/ for the above map.
Useful links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-grants-for-low-emission-vehicles
And in case you need a little inspiration: Fully Charged show with Robert Llewellyn (remember him in Red Dwarf?) about recent developments in renewables and EVs. https://fullycharged.show/.