EV charging infrastructure in the North East is set to double under a new partnership between South Tyneside Council and Connected Kerb.

Credit: Andy Hughes

Set to deliver up to 2,100 charge points over the next 20 years, the agreement will boost the region’s charging infrastructure by 126%.

Work begins in the next month and marks the single largest installation of public EV charge points in the North of England to date. Some 80% of the chargers will be operational in the next two years alone, increasing the number of council-operated chargers in South Tyneside more than 30-fold.

The rollout acts as a blueprint for levelling-up EV charging in the North East, which currently hosts just 2.7% of the UK’s public charging infrastructure, despite being home to almost 4% of the UK’s population.

The first phase of the installation will take place over at least 41 sites, including community centres, sports facilities and libraries such as Monkton Stadium, The Word and the Customs House Mill Dam car park. As part of the rollout, 43 existing charge points will be upgraded, increasing reliability and network uptime for users.

The move supports South Tyneside Council’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and become a carbon neutral authority by 2030.

Councillor Ernest Gibson, lead member for neighbourhoods and climate change at South Tyneside Council, said: “The entire country is undergoing a massive shift in ways in which we travel, and we are committed to ensuring that South Tyneside plays its part. With the first chargers expected to be in the ground by the end of March, we are committed to giving more residents the confidence they need to make the switch to electric, whilst supporting our sustainability agenda. Our partnership with Connected Kerb – enabling the largest rollout of EV chargers in the North East – provides a blueprint for other councils right across the UK to follow.”

Connected Kerb has also been awarded a place on the selective NEPO framework for local authority EV charge point procurement in the North East. This means that the company can be selected from a shortlist of suppliers for upcoming projects, including the LEVI funding of £16m later in 2024.

Connected Kerb’s 2023 annual report is also now out, outlining the company’s major network growth in 2023. Its network – some 5,500 charge points strong – is now one of the largest in the UK. The company deployed over 2,100 charge points in 2023 alone, and dispensed over 3.8 million kWh of energy, enough to power 23 million EV miles – the equivalent of driving from London to Cape Town over 2,800 times.