Charging charges on the way for electric car users
Drivers of electric cars will soon have to pay to charge their vehicles at council car parks in Driffield and around the East Riding.
Using the charging points at Cross Hill car park or at East Riding Leisure will cost motorists between £10 and £20, as the council tackles its spiralling energy bills.
The service has been free since the first chargers were installed almost a decade ago, but a report says this situation ‘cannot be sustained’.
Last Tuesday, members of East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Cabinet voted to introduce tariffs, which will come into effect next month.
A report presented to the committee said the authority’s energy bill is expected to almost double in 2023-24, from £4.6million per year to £8.6million.
“As all road-users pay to power their vehicles, the council is proposing to introduce a tariff to cover the electricity used and the ongoing operational costs of the charging points.
“The cost to the council of the energy being used cannot be sustained.
“By recovering the energy and running costs from drivers, we will be able to attract further investment to install more EV charging points to meet the increasing demand.”
The council has around 75 electric vehicle chargers around the country, located in public car parks and at leisure centres and County Hall in Beverley.
It says it is aiming to install 100 more over the next 12 months.
Until now, it has not charged, because it wanted to encourage more drivers to use electric cars.
It is proposing to make drivers pay 80p per kWh – which works out at between £10 and £20 – depending on the size of the car’s battery. The best performing cars can travel around 300 miles on a single full charge.
The report adds: “In order to provide a network that is financially self-sustaining and fair to all, users will be required to pay a tariff to charge their EV, including staff, visitors to council premises, and council tenants where an EV charger has been installed to serve a particular block of flats or cluster of properties.
“These tariffs will cover the electricity used, the cost of the plant, installation, repair, maintenance and all third party fees.
“To make sure the charging network is accessible to all users the tariffs charged will be based on the kWh used.
“Supporting measures will also introduced to prevent vehicles remaining longer than necessary in the charging bays, to encourage turnover and make them available to as many drivers as possible.”
