NEW electric car charging points are now available in Worcester’s St Martin’s Gate car park and users will not need to pay for parking while they power up their vehicles for a limited time.
Worcester City Council has installed the 12 chargers as the latest step in its Environmental Sustainability Strategy, which aims to help the city become carbon neutral by 2030.
Six 50kw rapid charging points and a further six 22kw fast charging points are available on the ground floor of the multi-storey car park.
Coun Andy Stafford, chair of the City Council’s Environment Committee, said: “With more and more people driving electric vehicles it’s vital that drivers can charge them easily, so it’s great news for the city that these new charging points are now available.
“The City Council already has several electric vehicles in its own fleet and it’s essential that we encourage motorists to make the switch away from petrol and diesel cars as part of the journey towards becoming a carbon neutral city.”
The charging points at St Martin’s Gate car parks are designed to accommodate the majority of electric vehicles currently available in the UK. They are listed on Zap Map and other information services for electric vehicle users.
Electric vehicle owners will be charged at a competitive rate of 25p per kWh at all 12 of the charging points.
As an introductory offer, they will not have to pay for parking while they are charging their vehicles.
Drivers are asked to stay no longer than one hour in a rapid charge parking spot and no longer than four hours in a fast charger parking space. Permanent parking arrangements will be introduced in November.
Users of non-electric vehicles will not be allowed to use the spaces where the charging points have been installed and will be issued with a penalty notice if they break this rule. St Martin’s Gate car park offers 750 parking spaces.
