South Tyneside Council helps deliver the ‘largest ever’ electric vehicle charger rollout

South Tyneside Council is working alongside Connected Kerb install up to 2,000 new charging points across the borough over its 20-year partnership with the organisation.

The ‘largest ever’ rollout of electric vehicle (EV) chargers across the North of England will see new installations at 20 locations in South Tyneside in the first two years.

Work started in July this year to install the chargers at key residential, commercial and retail locations across the borough - with work complete at five car parks.

These chargers have already provided an additional 22 sockets for EVs in South Tyneside.

Existing rapid charging points will also be upgraded and adopted on to the Connected Kerb network across 14 locations, providing 15 sockets of 50kW power.

Work on upgrading existing sites is continuing, with chargers set to be replaced at a further 33 locations to provide around 100 sockets by the end of summer 2025.

Martin Offiah MBE, rugby legend and Connected Kerb ambassador, paid a recent visit to South Tyneside to see the borough’s progress in the EV charging infrastructure rollout.

He said: "Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is crucial for a smooth transition from traditional vehicles to electric ones.

"It's fantastic to see such significant progress in South Tyneside.

“By expanding the charging network, we can ensure that people have the confidence to switch to electric vehicles, knowing they can charge wherever they go."

Before work started, South Tyneside Council had 59 electric vehicle charging points across the Borough.

Councillor Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, added: “Seeing the existing network of chargers being upgraded and even more public charging points being made available is great, especially for those residents who are unable to charge their vehicles at home or visitors from out of the area.

“The previous electric vehicle charging network was also unreliable and costly to maintain.

“This new operational model is helping to expand and enhance our existing infrastructure to provide a more reliable, modern comprehensive system that will also give us the scope to grow the network further in future to meet demand as more people turn to using electric vehicles.

“By providing the necessary infrastructure for an efficient and reliable network, we hope that residents will have the confidence to make the switch to electric.”

The partnership with Connected Kerb supports the local authority’s aim to reduce carbon emissions and be more sustainable having declared a climate emergency in July 2019.

As well as the installation process, Connected Kerb will be responsible for the management, maintenance and operation of the borough’s new charging points.

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South Tyneside Council remains the only local authority in the North East that is yet to charge people to use electric charging points.

However, the Council has stated that there will be the introduction of a tariff for electricity consumption, which is currently subsidised by the local authority at a cost of £200,000 per year.

It follows a 70% increase in use and consumption between 2021 and 2022 alone.

Councillor Margaret Meling, Lead Member for Economic Growth and Transport, commented: “Under the new model, Connected Kerb will manage and maintain the network and the price introduction will bring us in line with our regional neighbours.

“Providing better, reliable and accessible charging infrastructure is a huge step forward in supporting our sustainability ambitions and the wider work we are doing to help cut carbon emissions.”

The rollout of EV charging in South Tyneside is being funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles and Connected Kerb.

For more information, visit: https://connectedkerb.com/stories-and-reports/update-on-ev-charging-infrastructure-for-south-tyneside-council-residents/.