Devon County Council’s network of public electric vehicle chargers have electrified over one million miles of road travel in under two years since installation.

Andrea Davis of Devon County Council and Andy Bell of ScottishPower

The chargers, installed in partnership with ScottishPower, aim to help tackle the challenges caused by Devon’s rural and disperse landscape. Currently, 30% of the region’s carbon emissions stem from on-road transportation, which the Council hopes to lower through this partnership that has seen 130 charge points installed across 53 sites.

Carried out on behalf of the Devon Climate Emergency (DEC) initiative, the network rollout has been a collaborative effort between ScottishPower, Devon County Council and five other local councils. With the initial installation taking place in 2022, the network went live last year with the charge points compatible with all makes of EVs, fully charging a 50 kWh battery in 2-4 hours, providing a range of up to 200 miles depending on vehicle specification.

This move has helped the area take strides forward in its road map towards sustainable transport with the public EV charging infrastructure benefiting both local residents and tourists. These charge points have been strategically placed in public carparks, including park and ride facilities, to optimise Devon’s sustainable public transport network, making it easier for people to adopt greener travel habits.

Last year, the UK Department of Transport reported that the average person in England travelled 5,720 miles in one year, with the majority of these journeys being taken by car*. In the first year of being live, the new network of charge points in Devon has removed the equivalent to 174 of these yearly journeys and replaced them with fully electric miles.

Andrea Davis, cabinet member at Devon County Council for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, said: “Our partnership with ScottishPower has been instrumental in driving the adoption of electric vehicles across Devon. With 30% of our carbon emissions coming from road transportation, it was crucial to take bold steps towards a greener future. By installing these charge points, we are not only reducing emissions but also building confidence among our residents to make the switch to electric vehicles.

“ScottishPower’s expertise has been invaluable, offering a seamless installation and maintenance process at a cost that benefits the people of Devon. We are excited about the positive impact this initiative has already had and are excited to see these chargers being used even more over time.”

Andrew Bell, EV Public and Business at ScottishPower, said: “From the beginning of our collaboration, Devon County Council had a clear vision to create a sustainable future for the region. Our goal at ScottishPower is to support such visionary projects by providing the necessary infrastructure and expertise.

“Building a robust network of public EV charge points is essential in encouraging more people to switch to electric vehicles. We are proud to have played a part in making Devon a greener place and look forward to partnering with more local councils to extend this transformation.”