Surge in Use of Electric Vehicles in Shropshire

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Shropshire has seen an increase of 91 per cent, which is the biggest rise in the country, according to figures released by the Department of Transport.

Telford and Wrekin saw an increase is 48 percent while in Powys figures grew by 36 percent.  The statistics show the number of registered electric or plug-in hybrid cars, vans or microcars in the region for each quarter of the year.

Shropshire Council Investment in Sustainable Transport

The news has been welcomed by Shropshire Council, who is working on infrastructure in town centres to support the use of electric vehicles.

Councillor Simon Harris, Deputy Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transport told JT Hughes: “Electric or hybrid vehicles are on the increase there is no doubt about that.

“Manufacturers are changing the facilities to increase production, technology is increasing and central government is putting funding in place to support this.”

“Shropshire Council is currently working out a strategy to support infrastructure for the future.”

The Growth of Electric Car Use in Shropshire

In the time between July 2017 and September 2017, there were 381 electric vehicles on the roads in Shropshire.

Between July 2018 and September 2018 this figure grew to 726 which is an increase of 345.

There was also a leap in the number of electric vehicles in Telford & Wrekin. Numbers increased from 151 to 223 over the same period and in Powys the figures rose from 130 to 177.

Back in 2013 there were just 39 electric vehicles in Shropshire, 13 in Telford and 24 in Powys.

The latest complete registration data from 2017 shows there are 199,366 cars and vans in total on the roads, with 726 plug-in cars showing they are still a long way from taking over the roads.  

In Telford this figures is 223 out of 94,314, while in Powys there are 177 electric cars out of 91,511. 

Three Million Electric Vehicle Charge Points Needed by 2040

In October 2018, a report announced that three million charge points were needed across Britain by 2040 to support the growth in electric vehicle usage.

It advised that in order to meet demand, motorway service stations, public car parks and supermarket car parks would be just some of the places that would need to provide charging points.

Aurora Energy Research looked at four main applications of commercial and industrial charging: fleet vans, workplace charging, public car parks and motorway service stations and examined the opportunities and requirements to unlock investment.

Commenting on the opportunities presented by the growth of charging on C&I sites, Dr Felix ChowKambitsch, Head of Flexible Energy and Battery Storage at Aurora said:

“High electric vehicle deployment over the next twenty years will radically transform Great Britain’s energy system, stimulating innovation through a shift to ‘smart’, increasing flexibility and enhancing the role of renewables in the energy mix.”

“Commercial and Industrial ‘smart’ charging has a key role to play in meeting high levels of consumer ‘away-from-home’ EV charging demand and represents an exciting development for the whole energy industry.

“Additional commercial opportunities offered by V2G, solar and energy storage will help to make the system more flexible, and ‘greener’, contributing to meeting GB decarbonisation targets.”

Unreliable EV Charging Points an Issue

According to Aurora Energy Research, there are currently 14,000 charging points across the UK. Based on the analysis, the number of EVs on the roads could reach 35 million by 2040.

However, a previous report from RAC Foundation warned that the current public network is unsuitable may not support the next wave of people wanting ultra-green vehicles in a bid to reduce their emissions.

“The Government must be prepared to support EV charging hubs, which are refuelling stations specifically designed for EVs.”

The report also said that public charging unreliability is a problem with a 13 percent failure rate in June 2017.

Earlier this month, Britain’s motoring industry warned that the UK government must deliver new policies to support the uptake of low and zero-emission cars if it’s to keep up with the rollout of green cars across the EU.

Plans for More Charging Points in Shropshire

In November 2017, the government announced a £400 million investment in the UK’s electric car charging infrastructure. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling also revealed plans to install vehicle charging points on street lighting and on-street car parking spaces.

In Shropshire funding has been put in place to support the growth electric vehicles on the roads. Council officers are currently working on plans to put chargers in Ludlow, Church Stretton and Shrewsbury. The Council will also be introducing electric vehicles into their own fleet.

Councillor Simon Harris added: “We have funding in place put chargers at Ludlow food Centre and Church Stretton car park.”

“This is in line with keeping the county moving, the A49 is a major artery into the county, next stop is the capital Shrewsbury, which is currently been serviced by a number of units in car parks at shopping centres.”

“We have plans to bring them into Frankwell car park together with our own car park at Shirehall, this is to support our way forward in introducing electric vehicles into our own fleet.”

Telford & Wrekin Council has outlined a strategy to create a network of charging points for ultra-low emission vehicles to encourage residents to buy them.

Plans include a massive expansion of green infrastructure, reduction in emissions of existing materials alongside a campaign to drive uptake of zero-emission cars, vans and trucks.

Councillor Hilda Rhodes, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for Transport, Roads and Broadband, said: “The proposed strategy is accompanied by a comprehensive and robust action plan. 

“This plan identifies funding opportunities, possible charging locations and outlines plans to integrate provision for ultra-low emission vehicles in the council’s wider sustainable transport agenda.

“This strategy is clearly needed in the wake of the government’s announcement and the anticipated rise in ownership of electric cars.”

Where Can You Charge Your Electric Vehicle in Shropshire?

The charging network in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin is growing with charge points across both counties, including Burway Garage in Church Stretton, Midcounties Co-op in Cleobury Mortimer, Hawkstone Park near Shrewsbury and Soulton Hall near Wem.

In Telford, there are currently 18 charge point devices hosting 31 connection sockets at 11 different locations. We list some of the areas in Shropshire you can get your vehicle charged and ready to hit the road.

Shrewsbury Electric Car Charging Points

• Asda, Old Potts Way
• Bannatyne Health Club, Oteley Road
• Euro Garages Shrewsbury
• Cooperative, Bicton Heath
• Greenhous Nissan Limited
• Moat Hall, Annscroft
• Energy Centre, Hazel Hollow

Telford Electric Car Charging Points:

• Wellington Leisure Centre, Wellington
• Best Western Valley Hotel, Ironbridge
• Nelly – Laura, Lower Wood
• Busch Ltd - Telford
• Asda - Telford Malinsgate
• Haycop Rise 36 Haycop Rise, Broseley