Grant could cover most of £600k cost for proposed electric vehicle charging hub in village near Leamington

A proposed electric vehicle charging hub in Harbury could benefit from a £600,000 grant from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund - 75 per cent of the overall cost.

The project has been developed by Harbury Future Energy and if the bid for funding is successful, Warwickshire County Council intends to use it as a pilot scheme to test the concept, deliverability and success of rural EV charging hubs.

The bid was approved by the portfolio holder for transport and planning Cllr Wallace Redford (Con, Cubbington and Leek Wootton) and a report outlining the plan explained: “People living in rural areas are often the most dependent on the private car to meet their mobility needs.

"Access to EV charging in the more rural areas of Warwickshire is challenging and in order to support transition to EVs, easy to access, a convenient charging infrastructure is required.

“Warwickshire County Council aspires to develop a rural network of charging hubs to meet existing and future demand and to ensure that EV take-up in rural areas is not suppressed.

"This will be crucial to meet the net zero targets for the transport sector set by central government and to meet locally set targets for Warwickshire.”

The scheme at Harbury will be located on parish council land within a ten-minute walk of key residential areas that do not have access to private off street charging provision.

If successful, the funding would pay for two rapid chargers, up to 20 standard 22kw chargers and solar panels to provide a renewable energy source.

The report added: “The project will also enable the community e-Wheels vehicles to operate on a renewable electricity supply and provide access to EV charging for the surrounding villages and settlements in this part of rural Warwickshire. These vehicles provide much needed transport options for those in need and are operated on a volunteer basis.”

The pilot LEVI fund was launched in April with a £10 million pot which the government hopes will fund up to eight local authority projects or those from organisations working in partnership with local authorities.