Nottinghamshire County Council has been successful in securing Government funding that will make it easier for residents in Hucknall and across the county without off-street parking to charge electric vehicles on-street.

The County Council has been awarded £774,000 from the Government's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme, which will enable the proposed Electric Vehicle (EV) cable channel pilot programme to be rolled out on a wider scale than previously planned. The Council will now work with Government to finalise the funding and programme arrangements, with the aim of launching the pilot programme in the coming months.

The EV cable channel pilot was praised by the Government for its innovative approach to providing at home electric vehicle charging and is one of only nine schemes across the country to receive funding from the LEVI pilot.

The proposed EV cable channel pilot programme would provide eligible households without off-street parking the opportunity to commission the County Council's highway partners, Via East Midlands Ltd, to install cable channels from their property, across the footway, so that they can charge their EV. 

To be eligible households would need to fund an approved domestic EV charge point on their property. The LEVI funding secured will help deliver the highway works to enable residents to extend EV charging cables from their domestic EV charge point to the roadside without creating a trip hazard to road users or adding to street clutter. 

Any resident interested in participating in the pilot can find out more details, see if they may be eligible, and register their interest by clicking here.

Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: "This is excellent news for Nottinghamshire and means that we can accelerate the roll-out of the proposed EV cable channel project on a much wider scale, potentially enabling delivery of 300 EV cable channels by 31 March 2023.

"The Government themselves recognised in their feedback to our bid that 'a large number of people will be able to benefit from charging their vehicle at home where they previously couldn't, and we are proud to be delivering this for the people of Nottinghamshire.

"The approval of our bid to roll the EV cable channel pilot out more widely across Nottinghamshire means we will be reducing inequality between households with and without off-street parking.

"As a county, we must do all that we can to protect the environment, and that's why it's important that having an electric vehicle shouldn't just be restricted to those with private parking.

"Nottinghamshire's successful LEVI funding bid will help cover the costs of the delivery of the EV cable channels, which would otherwise have been funded by the household. A subsidised proposal offers a more affordable, accessible option for eligible Nottinghamshire households without off-street parking facilities, reducing potential barriers to funding the cost of the EV domestic charge point and EV cable channel.

"We are on a mission to make Nottinghamshire healthier, more prosperous and greener and initiatives like this one are a step further towards achieving our green ambitions."