City and county braced for EV vehicles boom

Derby City Council has welcomed a new report which suggests both the city and county are on track to meet a projected uptake of electric vehicles.

The research by Midlands Connect says Derby and Derbyshire remain on track for an EV (electric vehicle) boom and could see just under 66,000 electric cars on its streets by the end of the decade.

Figures suggest the city and county will see a 440% increase in uptake in electric vehicles by the end of 2030, with projections predicting to rise from 12,216 EVs today to 65,915 on its roads by the end of 2030.

New research forecasts have shown Derby and Derbyshire require a further 6,949 public charging points by 2030 to support the increase in EV use over the next decade, an 1,534% increase from the 453 chargers existing across the region today.

The work is part of the sub-national transport body’s efforts to support local authorities in increasing EV charger roll-out.

In September, it partnered with 14 local authorities for a total of £40.3 million of the Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to be part of consortium approach, accounting for 61% of the regions £66.5 million funding.

The latest figures were announced at Midlands Connect’s recent EV Conference, which brought together senior leaders and policymakers to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the electric vehicle industry.

Discussions included hearing from firms manufacturing EVs; electrifying fleets of vehicles and ensuring that electrified transport is accessible to everyone.

Councillor Carmel Swan, the city council’s cabinet member for climate change, transport and sustainability, said: “In Derby, we’re on a journey to grow the range of transport choices available to citizens and increasing and enhancing electric vehicle infrastructure is a huge part of this.

“This new data reaffirms what we already know – that many of Derby’s citizens are planning to make the switch to electric vehicles over the next few years and we’re working hard to make this as easy as possible for them.”

Commenting on the research, Maria Machancoses, chief executive of Midlands Connect, said: “It’s clear Derby and Derbyshire is still on the brink of a boom in electric vehicles, that could see just under 66,000 electric cars on its streets by the end of decade.

“Local authorities across the Midlands are doing a great job to roll out charging points, but they cannot do this alone.

“We’re already working with local authorities to support their work and help secure EV infrastructure funding from government.”