The project is being run in the North East of England, one of the Government’s electric vehicle focus areas. Tadea, a not-for-profit organisation which provides advice and consultancy on carbon reduction and sustainable energy, is running the project

The EVPV (Electric Vehicle Solar Photovoltaic) project offsets the electricity demand created when charging electric vehicles by using solar power. It brings local installers of renewable technology together as a consortium and installs, often free of charge, 7.35 – 49kWh of solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of businesses to run an EV re-charging post. 

Five new charging points have been installed in the North East, and plans for a further 95 charging points are currently being drawn up. Proposals have also been submitted that could potentially lead to the implementation of a further 900 EV charging sites across the north of England. 

Tadea is also launching a driver training centre which will be based at the Gateshead College Skills Academy for Manufacturing and Innovation.

It will provide training courses designed to help improve driver behaviour and help drivers familiarise themselves with low carbon vehicles. Research trials conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory stated that simulator training can bring about an average improvement in on-road fuel efficiency of 15.7%.

Paul Jackson, Tadea’s chief executive officer, said: ‘These two projects have an incredible amount of potential. The EVPV project is revolutionising the way we power electric vehicles, and it is significantly boosting the environmental credentials of this mode of transportation. The driver training centre also demonstrates the potential we feel exists in the area of low carbon transport, and our key co-ordinating position in this sector.’