Connected Kerb doubles electric vehicle chargers in North East

Connected Kerb and South Tyneside Council join forces to increase the North East’s charging network by 126%, significantly bridging the regional infrastructure gap by boosting accessibility while promoting sustainable practices. 

Connected Kerb has recently announced that it plans to over double it’s charge points in the North East of England. South Tyneside Council has partnered with Connect Kerb to roll out up to 2100 new EV charges; an initiative which marks the largest single installation of public EV charges in the region and a move that significantly addresses the current disparity in charging infrastructure across England.

With the North East being home to almost 4% of the UK’s population, there are only 2.7% of the country’s public charging points in this area. This discrepancy highlights an urgent need to improve accessibility to charging infrastructure across the region, with the ambition of “boosting the North East’s charging network by 126%”.

The CEO of Connected Kerb, Chris Pateman-Jones, emphasised the important role of the local authority within this transition, highlighting that “with millions of pounds available to local authorities from government initiatives such as LEVI Fund, councils are in the driving seat to take decisive, meaningful action to deploy charge points where communities need them the most”. The CEO has also stated that "Our partnership with South Tyneside Council is yet another example of bold ambition turned into action."

The deployment of these new chargers represents a significant boost to the region's existing network, and in the next two years alone, the area will see a huge 80% increase of charging points. This is a figure that will see the increase in council-operated charges rise more than 30-fold. 

Beyond increasing accessibility to charging points, the rollout aims to empower more residents to make the switch to electric vehicles, as Cllr Ernest Gibson of South Tyneside Council explains, "We are committed to giving more residents the confidence they need to make the switch to electric, whilst supporting our sustainability agenda."

The initiative also aligns with South Tyneside Council's sustainability efforts to reduce carbon emissions and become a carbon-neutral authority by 2030.

By expanding the charging infrastructure, the council aims to support sustainable transportation and contribute to environmental goals; a transition that they hope will inspire over regions to make similar commitments. 

Find out more here.