Bromsgrove District Council and Redditch Borough Council have opened new EV charging spaces in car parks across both districts under a partnership with Zest. 

Located in Aston Fields (Bromsgrove) and Astwood Bank (Redditch), the EV chargers are the first to go live under a wider partnership that will see Zest deploy 120 chargers across the two towns, targeted at drivers without home charging to help them conveniently recharge their vehicles close to home or on the go.

The remaining chargers are expected to be installed in a range of locations throughout the summer.

Councillor Sharon Harvey, leader of the council and portfolio holder for regeneration and environmental services at Redditch Borough Council, said: “We take our climate goals seriously. Providing an increased number of electric vehicle chargers is an important step towards making our goals achievable. Redditch has so much to offer, being able to charge your car at a reasonable cost is another thing to add to the list. We’re pleased to have partnered with Zest to unlock these facilities for our residents.”

The £2.1m project will see Zest provide, operate and maintain the chargers, with no costs for the councils, over the next 15 to 20 years.

The certified B-Corp is one of the UK’s fastest growing investor-operators of public access EV charging infrastructure.

Robin Heap, CEO at Zest, said: “Expanding charging networks ahead of demand is key to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles. Zest is proud to partner with Bromsgrove District Council and Redditch Borough Council in their mission to cut carbon emissions across all modes of transport. With the first Zest charging spaces now in operation, we’re making reliable public EV charging more accessible for the whole community.”