Wrexham Council awarded £1 million to increase EV charging hubs in the county

Wrexham Council has been awarded an additional £1 million to increase the number of EV charging hubs across the city centre and communities.

The share of £15m of funding, confirmed today by Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters, will be used to help local authorities increase the number of charging facilities ahead of fossil fuel vehicles being phased out in 2030.

It follows the £26m already invested in charging infrastructure across Wales since 2021 which has created more than 1,600 charging points – enough for one in six battery electric vehicles.

A report released by the Climate Change Committee this week called on the Welsh government to speed up its efforts to reduce carbon emissions if its to reach the Net Zero target by 2050.

This included boosting the amount of EV chargers across Wales, with the current number of charging points per capita being lower than England and Scotland.

Wrexham Council will use the £1 million to roll-out EV charging facilities at a charging hub in the city centre as well as sites in remote, more rural locations across the county.

Previously we have reported on calls from councillors in communities across the county borough to improve EV charging facilities for those that live further out from the city.

Cllr David A Bithell, Deputy Leader and Climate Champion at Wrexham Council, said: “We are pleased to receive this funding which will enable us to continue our work to help people to move to Electric Vehicles through both the creation of a mobility hub in the city centre and also supporting some of our smaller and more rural communities with facilities to charge EVs where they may not have access to off road parking.

“As part of this project we are also looking to add some increased provision to support active travel and nature.

“We are keen to make a start on this important step on the road to lower carbon transport for Wrexham.”

Deputy Minister for Climate Change, with a responsibility for transport, Lee Waters said: “Drivers need to have the confidence to make the switch to electric vehicles as demand increases and that’s why we are committed to creating high quality electric vehicle infrastructure across Wales.

“Most of this work will be delivered by the private sector but our role is to facilitate private sector investments across Wales and ensure equality of access.

“To help with this, we have created a private sector taskforce which will engage with the market, break down any barriers to investment and accelerate the roll out of charging infrastructure.

“The funding announced today is another step in the right direction but we have further to go – we will continue to work with local authorities and the private sector so that Wales keeps up with the rapid increase in the number of electric vehicles.”