New electric vehicle charging points for city

The first of up to 80 new electric vehicle (EV) on-street charging points have been installed in Wolverhampton giving residents easier access to a greener way to travel.

Units are being rolled out at around 40 locations by City of Wolverhampton Council - in partnership with Black Country Transport and Wenea West Midlands Ltd - offering electric vehicle owners more places to charge their vehicles.

The first four units are now in use in Merridale Crescent, Castlecroft Road, St Mark’s Road and Laburnum Street, following consultation with residents. Each one features two vehicle charging points. 

More will go live in Wolverhampton before the end of the year and residents will be kept informed of other locations.

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) awarded City of Wolverhampton Council £279,790 through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) to deliver EV charging points in residential areas for EV owners without off-street parking at home.  

People can suggest locations for EV charging points in the city at Have Your Say Today - Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Suggestions - Commonplace 

Wenea West Midlands Ltd is responsible for installing and operating the new charging points.

Visit https://wenea.com/uk/ for more information and download the Wenea app here Download our app - Wenea - Uk

Prices can be found on the Wenea app and vary by location and charging speed.

Councillor Qaiser Azeem, cabinet member for transport and green city at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “As a city we are committed to reducing carbon emissions and electric vehicles are a great way to do this. I am very pleased to see the first of the new charging points installed. 

“Electric vehicles are a growing part of transport in our city. As a council, we have introduced 50 electric vehicles into our fleet and 34 chargers in our depots, and we are committed to supporting all Wulfrunians with access to EV charging points too.”

Gustavo Prince, head of Wenea UK, said, "We are thrilled to be a part of the Black Country Transport On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, bringing accessible and reliable electric vehicle charging infrastructure to the West Midlands.

“We are committed to supporting the UK's transition to electrified transport and are looking forward to seeing the first charging points go live.

“This initiative is a significant step in making sustainable transportation more convenient for the residents of Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall, and Sandwell." 

The installation programme is part of a larger scheme, which will see up to 315 EV charging points introduced in around 158 locations across the four Black County authorities. 

The project is led by Black Country Transport on behalf of the four local authorities and is the first phase of a multi-million-pound programme of works to support the transition to electric vehicles in the region.  

A further £7million has been provided to fund the Black Country scheme by

WMCA, through the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles funded City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS).

Additional investment will be provided through the £14.5m allocation to the West Midlands from the OZEV Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) fund over the coming financial years.

Members of the public are being invited to learn more about electric vehicles and electric vehicle infrastructure in the region at an upcoming event.

Black Country Transport is hosting Electrifying Transport in the Black Country on Thursday, September 12 at the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation, opposite Dudley Zoo. 

A range of electric vehicles, including cars, vans, ebikes and escooters will be available to test drive, and a number of experts will be on hand to answer questions.

Anyone can book a place for free here Electrifying Transport in the Black Country (Clean Futures Catalyst) Tickets, Thu, Sep 12, 2024 at 9:30 AM | Eventbrite