BEMBRIDGE WELCOMES ISLAND’S FIRST ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING POINT ON THE PUBLIC HIGHWAY
The new Pod is situated outside the Parish Office in Foreland Road, Bembridge – conveniently located just a 1-minute walk to the village centre. Although this facility is provided for everyone, it is envisaged that it will be mostly used by those visiting from the mainland where they can park in the dedicated charging bay, spend a couple of hours having a spot of lunch and perhaps do a bit of shopping in the High Street.
The Pod has already proven popular even whilst waiting for the bay marking to be implemented (now complete).
“It is fantastic that Bembridge is leading the way with this Green initiative, and we are confident that as sales of EV’s increase (and prices continue to fall) that it will be utilised regularly.
“Depending on the increase in demand we will consider additional Pods in Bembridge with Steyne Park Car Park being earmarked as the next potential Pod site, however if early indications are anything to go by then the Pod will prove very popular with visitors and demand will outstrip supply.
“With the Government’s pledge to end new vehicle sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, and the EV Charging infrastructure growing exponentially, the idea of purchasing an EV is becoming more attractive. In fact, in January of this year, new EV sales were up 200% on the same period a year earlier. The growth of the charging infrastructure nationally is vital to consumer confidence and means that EV owners will not have to be concerned about the lack of charging sites available.”
This project would not have been possible without a generous percentage of the cost being covered by grant funding and the assistance and cooperation of the Isle of Wight Council, Island Roads and contractors JA Dempsey and Berry Electrical, who have all worked together to get this project completed.
Bembridge Parish Council says due to the arrival of COVID-19, some aspects of the project were delayed and they apologise for any inconvenience to residents during the installation of the pod and/or bay marking.
Source : islandecho
