Trafford Council has launched the first tranche of a planned 100 new charging bays – the biggest local authority roll-out in Greater Manchester.

L-R: Mark Constantine (Be.EV network manager), Asif Ghafoor (Be.EV CEO), Chris Morris (Trafford Council director of transport, highways and environment) and John MacBrayne (Be.EV business solutions) opening the new chargers at Flixton Road car park, Urmston

Opened in partnership with charging infrastructure provider Be.EV, the first 19 new sites are now live in car parks and local parks, helping to ensure charging access is available for all – not just those in affluent areas.

Up to 100 charging bays will be delivered by 2023, addressing regional disparity in access to electric vehicle charge points. Latest Department for Transport statistics reveal that the North West has the lowest level of public charge points per 100,000 population of any English region (30 per 100,0000 people) – far behind the South East (49), West Midlands (42) and London (122).

Chris Morris, director of transport, highways and environment at Trafford Borough Council, said: “The aim of this roll-out is to create dependable, fair access to public EV charging across the borough. We want to build the infrastructure that encourages everybody to go electric – even if they can’t charge at home.

The chargers are fully funded by Be.EV, which has assumed responsibility for all ongoing maintenance, back office, upgrades and further expansion of the network . It’s also bringing in private landlords and business to host chargers and build a concentrated, unified network in the region.

Alongside capital investment, Be.EV also supported the EV team at Trafford Council with planning on the location of the new chargers, prioritising places of most need, for example near houses without driveways.

Chris Morris added: “The team at Be.EV use street-level data to really drill into neighbourhoods and find the locations that make the biggest difference locally. Building bigger hubs that ensure there’s always a free space is part of that strategy.”

There was also a public consultation, with feedback highlighting demand for faster chargers in safe, well-lit locations.

Be.EV CEO Asif Ghafoor said: “The Trafford team have been really forward-thinking in their approach and together, I believe, we’re showing what’s possible. We need hundreds of thousands of public charge-points by 2030. If, like Trafford, all 300+ local authorities rolled out 100 bays in the next two years, that order of magnitude no longer looks out of reach.”