More than 660 EV charging points to be installed in Walsall by 2030

The new strategy, paid for by government capital funding, was approved by cabinet members at this week’s meeting.

The strategy is to prepare for the ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars, which comes into force from 2035.

Walsall borough currently has 16 publicly available EV charge points, none of which are owned by the council. Of the 16, 11 are standard and five are rapid.

To fully charge a typical 60 kilowatt battery, a standard EV chargepoint takes eight hours, whereas a rapid EV chargepoint takes just one to two hours.

A forecasting tool used by Walsall Council to predict the future needs of EV charge points, said 1287 new sockets will be required across the borough by 2030, which is nearly double the amount the approved strategy hopes to deliver.

Between now and 2026, the strategy will see 280 standard EV charging sockets installed. Of these, 250 will be on-street units, 20 will be installed on some of the council’s 17 car parks and 10 will be located across other council facilities such as leisure centres, libraries and community centres.

Between 2026 and 2030, 350 more standard on-street EV charging sockets will be delivered across the borough. The proposed location of the rapid EV charge points is unclear.

The council recognises that it is essential to provide on-street EV charge points in residential areas for households who do not have driveways. Approximately 39 per cent of residents across the borough do not have access to off-street parking.

Councillor Adrian Andrew, associate leader and portfolio holder for economic growth and regeneration, said: “The electric vehicle chargepoint strategy is another step towards carbon net zero for Walsall and, more importantly, making it easier for local people to make the switch to electric.

“People will be able to charge their vehicles on charge points across the borough regardless of whether they have access to a private driveway. Responding to climate change is critical to the future of the borough’s quality of life and the EV Strategy will help us towards a cleaner, greener future.”