Electric vehicles (EV)

 

We have now procured Chargepoint operator Wenea to help with the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot project. Please see more about this below.

EV market | Net zero | Chargepoints | Our role | Charging Strategy | LEVI projects | FAQs

The market for electric vehicles

With a ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars nationally being postponed until 2035 by the government, the uptake of EV is forecast to rapidly increase over the next decade.

Just over 10 years ago there were around 5,000 EV registered in the UK, now there are approximately 1,000,000 fully electric cars and a further 600,000 plug-in hybrids on the UK's roads.

Our target to achieve net zero carbon

We declared a climate emergency in May 2019, and now aspire to meet net zero carbon for our own operations by 2035 and have pledged to reach a revised target of achieving net zero across the county by 2050, to align with government targets.

To help us decarbonise transport and contribute to our net zero ambitions for the county, we're keen to support residents in switching to electric vehicles. Find out about current environment and net zero initiatives across Leicestershire.

EV chargepoints

At present, most of the UK’s charging demand is met through home charging (on private driveways, garages, or allocated off-street spaces), however, publicly accessible charging infrastructure is now becoming increasingly necessary to enable wider EV uptake.

Government’s UK electric vehicle infrastructure strategy, published in March 2022, predicts that a minimum of 300,000 public chargepoints will be needed nationally by 2030 to meet the expected demand - currently there are around 60,000.

Chargepoints near you

EV chargepoints can now be found in many public places - supermarkets, garages, town centres, and at many workplaces.

Zap-Map displays the locations and providers of the chargepoints, the type of charger, its availability, and utilisation fee (if applicable).

Find a public EV chargepoint using ZapMap

Our role in providing charging infrastructure in Leicestershire

Whilst the delivery of EV charging infrastructure isn't a legal requirement for local authorities, government expects upper tier local authorities to play a part in expanding the network of public chargepoints, addressing gaps in provision currently being provided by the private sector.

We're therefore following the progress of the EV market closely and, wherever possible, actively seeking to secure funding from government to support our residents with suitable public chargepoints where they are needed most.

Nevertheless, this is a new and very challenging area for local authorities, with very little consensus nationally on how to provide the necessary charging infrastructure in a coordinated way, to deal with growing EV demand, particularly for those without access to off-street parking.

Our other initiatives to support and expand charging infrastructure

We'll continue to:

  • engage and seek feedback from local communities to understand the evolving needs and expectations of current/prospective EV drivers
  • work with Midlands Connect and other local authorities to bid for further government funding, as it becomes available
  • consider introducing public chargepoints at our Country Parks and Park and Ride sites
  • review our own fleet vehicles, identifying opportunities to transition to low emission vehicles, and provide the necessary charging infrastructure, where this is practicable and cost effective
  • review EV schemes that other authorities have introduced, or are currently piloting, to learn from their experiences
  • press the government to set out a national approach and standards for EV charging infrastructure, which is appropriately funded

For information about chargepoints in Leicester, see the Leicester City Council's website

Our Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy

On Friday 13 September 2024, Cabinet approved the County Council’s Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy (EVCS).

The EVCS is an important first step in helping the council play its part in the roll out of EV charging infrastructure.

It sets out the council’s approach to public EV charging provision and its ongoing delivery. It also describes the roles of other organisations, partners, and stakeholders such as Chargepoint Operators (CPOs) and Electricity Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) who we'll need to work with.

The EVCS will focus on the delivery of public on-street chargepoints in residential areas, which will be available to all, particularly those households with limited off-street parking.

The EV market is rapidly evolving and therefore, it is likely that the strategy will need to be reviewed and refreshed after two years in light of any lessons we learn from our EV chargepoint delivery projects.

Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) projects

Pilot project - installing public charge points in the most populated settlements

Working with Midlands Connect and 4 other local authorities, we have secured almost £1 million of government’s first portion of LEVI funding for public charge points across the Midlands. Of the funding secured, we have been allocated approximately £220,000 towards the installation of public charge points in Leicestershire.

County councillors recently approved a new strategy for EVs and in collaboration with charge point operator Wenea, work can start on delivering new charge points at on-street locations across the county as part of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot project.

This work will be carried out in collaboration with Wenea, who will provide a complete charging system, starting from network design and deployment through to operation of the charging infrastructure. It will be Leicestershire’s first public on-street EV charging infrastructure.

Although specific charge point locations have yet to be determined, the focus will be on the most populated settlements across the county. This will centre on residential streets where there are high proportions of housing with limited or no access to private off-street parking.

The majority of charge points will be lower powered (3kW-22kW) with a small number of rapid charge points (50kW+).

The project’s main aim is making EV charging accessible to a wider range of residents within the county, especially to those without access to off-street parking. Charge points will be strategically placed to best serve the needs of local communities and meet growing demand, based on feedback from residents and careful research. 

A roll-out of charge points is planned from 2025 onwards, with more detail on location to be released closer to the time. 

Find out more about the Major step forward for Leicestershire's electric vehicle charging network.

Full project - expanding the number of chargepoints across the entire county

In April 2023 we were provisionally allocated further capital funding to deliver a large-scale chargepoint project. We're still in the early stages and are currently in the process of securing the funding, working alongside Midlands Connect and a consortium of other local authorities.

In accordance with government’s LEVI funding criteria and the scope of our emerging EV Charging Strategy, the focus of the project is likely to be on chargepoints:

  • within the public highway, i.e. residential streets, estates, high streets, and main roads
  • on suitable county council-owned sites, i.e. Country Parks and libraries (subject to the availability of funding)
  • in urban and rural locations across the entire county
  • where there is evidence of residential parking demand and home charging isn't possible (i.e. no/limited off-street parking availability)
  • suited to mainly lower powered on-street Standard chargers (7kW) for overnight charging, Lamppost chargers (3kW), and a small number of Rapid chargers (50kW+) will also be considered across the county where appropriate

The locations identified by residents and the feedback we received from the public engagement exercise will feed into our future chargepoint delivery plans for the project, where these align with LEVI funding criteria, and the scope of our emerging EV Charging Strategy.

The full project will allow us to build on the pilot project and expand the number of public EV chargepoints across the county. Further updates will follow if we're successful in securing the funding for the project.

District councils

By installing publicly available chargepoints in district-run car parks, districts councils are also playing a key role in helping facilitate the roll out of EV chargepoints. Chargepoints have already been installed in several car parks and there are plans to install more.

Find further information about each district:

Chargepoints - frequently asked questions

I have a private driveway - how do I install a home chargepoint?

There are many providers and types of home chargepoints available for residents to install on their private land. Home chargepoint providers require customers to have access to off-street parking prior to installation and won't install in locations where the resident would be required to trail a cable across the highway. See the government's list of approved chargepoint installers

Typically planning permission isn't required for residents to install wall mounted chargepoint on their private land. However, the electrical outlet and casing mustn't:

  • exceed 0.2 cubic metres
  • face onto and be within 2 metres of the highway
  • be within a site designated as a scheduled monument
  • be within the curtilage of a listed building

If your property is a listed building or is located in a conservation area, you must obtain planning permission for your EV chargepoint.

I park on-street - can I trail a charging cable over the pavement between my property and EV?

Leicestershire residents without access to private off-street parking and charging facilities are not currently permitted to trail a charging cable over the pavement or street between their property and vehicle, even if it's covered by a cable cover or mat, or utilises a cross-pavement charging solution such as a cable channel or ‘gully.’ Residents are also not permitted to install a private chargepoint overhanging or on the street outside their home.

This is a new and very challenging area for local highway authorities to address, with very little consensus nationally on how to allow private individuals to utilise the public highway and provide individual charging opportunities for those who don’t have off-street parking.

Whilst the government has recently announced an Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant, there is currently no national guidance which sets out the approach local highway authorities should take to navigate the significant and complex issues resulting from this type of infrastructure.

Therefore, at present, we are not currently pursuing or granting permission for any form of cross-pavement or street charging solutions for private individuals.

We are encouraged to hear that cross-pavement guidance is being prepared by the government, as promised in its 'Plan for Drivers' that is expected to be released in 2024, at which point we'll review our position.

What government grants are available for private chargepoint installation?

The latest details on government EV infrastructure grant schemes can be found on the government’s Office for zero emission vehicles (OZEV) webpage

This includes grants for:

  • renters and flat owners
  • staff and fleet car parks for small and medium businesses
  • landlords
  • state funded education institutions
  • workplaces, charities, public sector organisations, and small accommodation businesses
What is the difference between the types of chargepoints?

The speed at which a vehicle is charged is measured in Kilowatts (kW).

  • Slow and Standard chargepoints have a power output of up to 8kW and are primarily used for overnight charging. A typical EV can be charged from empty to 80% in around 12 hours and will add up to 15-30 miles of range per hour of charging.
  • Fast chargepoints have a power output of up to 49kW and typically charge a vehicle in 2-6 hours and add up to 90 miles of range per hour of charging.
  • Rapid chargepoints have a power output of over 50kw and can charge an EV in around an hour.
  • Ultra rapid chargepoints generally have a power output over 150kW and can fully charge an EV in less than an hour.