Rutland County Council has contributed to a bid for almost £1million in funding, as part of Government's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Pilot. A partnership of five local authorities across the Midlands region, alongside Sub-National Transport Body Midlands Connect submitted the bid. 

If successful, the money - which totals £935,355 - will be distributed between Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Herefordshire, Rutland and Stoke-on-Trent Councils. It is expected that this support from Government will attract an additional £2.8million in private sector investment, with the cumulative funds being used to install a total of 322 standard and 27 rapid public electric vehicle (EV) chargers. 

In Rutland, the funding will be used to deliver 26 standard and 4 rapid charging points across the county. The majority will be on-street chargers in residential areas, alongside some publicly available chargers situated in council-owned carparks and other council-owned land. 

Last year, analysis by Midlands Connect found that Rutland needs 96 new public EV charging points by the end of 2025 to meet growing demand. It is hoped that this pilot could pave the way for a larger, region-wide installation scheme. 

Estimates suggest that the installation and maintenance of electric vehicle charging points will create an influx of jobs in the region, with 220 related roles set to be created in Rutland by the end of 2032.  

At present, 93% of electric vehicle owners have access to off-road parking. It's hoped that increasing the number of public charging stations will make it easier for those without a driveway to make the switch to electric, while also increasing the ease of travel and charging for all EV users. 

Maria Machancoses, CEO of Midlands Connect, said: "It's clear that the electric vehicle revolution is well underway in Rutland – our projections suggest that by the end of the decade over one in four cars will be electric.

"It's vital that we act now to install the infrastructure motorists need to travel conveniently and to accelerate the take up of EVs, especially in areas where off-street parking is the norm. Local Authorities are working hard to install public charge points, but it's vital that we secure support from Government to make change happen faster and encourage further investment from the private sector." 

Cllr Lucy Stephenson, Leader of Rutland County Council, added: "We know that residents in Rutland are keen to make greener choices and many would like to make the switch to an electric vehicle. Given the rural nature of the county, it's essential that we increase the number of public charging points in place so that motorists can travel without the worry about finding a place to power up, and residents without driveways know they can charge their vehicles close to home. We're very hopeful that this bid will be successful, allowing us to move forward and install the charging points we need." 

However, the electric car enthusiasm is not necessarily touching all corners of the county, with many questioning the range, cost and current efficiency of electric vehicles.

There are concerns that the widespread use of electric vehicles will limit those who cannot afford them, and may force the price of houses with no parking down due to charging limitations.

Local man and retired engineer, Michael George, said: "Electric cars are too expensive for at least half of the population, at least half of the homes in the UK have no possibility of having a charging facility and the range is poor - how do you charge a stranded electric car? On top of this, the batteries have a relatively short life and the landfill will soon be overflowing with car batteries. Furthermore, they won't be cheap to run once enough people are using them that the Government need to start charging tax and increasing the price of electricity... and these are just the obvious issues."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that UK electricity is to be powered by clean energy sources from 2035.

If successful though, Rutland residents will see this £1million partnership come to pass before the PM's clean energy promise, with the installation of chargers anticipated by 2025.

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