Ceredigion to take part in a new, innovative trial in its goal to achieve Carbon Net Zero by 2030
A new scheme funded by the Welsh Government to install on-street residential electric-vehicle charging points will be trialled by Ceredigion County Council from March/April of this year.
The Council will select three locations in Aberystwyth for a trial after carrying out a ground survey. A total of 18 electric vehicle (EV) charge points will be installed, with six at each location. We will be engaging and working closely with the residents in the trial areas and we are eager to hear from residents in other areas that would be interested in taking part in any future installations.
The sale of electric vehicles is gradually increasing however not all residents will have the access and facilities to install private electric vehicle charging points from their own properties. Should the trial be successful, then the benefit of this scheme is that it will help meet the current and future needs of residents as they gradually convert to electric vehicles, whilst eliminating any risk and trip hazards from cables being extended across pavement areas.
The UK Government’s zero emission vehicle mandate became law in January 2024 and requires that 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035. According to the Gov.uk Vehicle licensing statistics data tables, 829 plug-in electric vehicles were registered in Ceredigion at the end of 2024. If car ownership remains at today’s level, a rapid increase in the electrical charging infrastructure will be required. There are several areas of high-density housing without off street parking in Ceredigion, for example, 23% of Aberystwyth properties do not have access to off-street vehicle charging facilities.
The initial residential trial will be developed in conjunction with ‘Trojan Energy’. These charge points are built into the pavement, sitting completely flat when not in use. This means they don’t create trip hazards or clutter the street. Each charge point provides charging speeds of up to 22kWh, giving local residents who don’t have a driveway a convenient way to charge their EVs close to home. Residents taking part in the trial will receive a free personal charging adaptor. This adaptor connects their vehicle to the charge point on the street and enables automatic billing, making charging simple and secure.
Ceredigion County Council has also been successful in securing funding from Welsh Government to develop a further trial with ‘Connected Kerb’ for static bollard type EV charging with sites being assessed around Ceredigion for use by residents and the general public. The Chameleon 7kw static bollard will have a discreet, low impact on street appearance, which will be accessible to all users of electric vehicles.
This development is being implemented in response to the Council’s unanimous decision on 5 March 2020 to support of a declaration of global climate emergency, committing the Council to achieving Carbon Net Zero by 2030. A Net Zero action plan was presented to Scrutiny on 25 May 2021, and endorsed by Cabinet on 15 June 2021.
This was followed by the Cabinet adopting the Ceredigion County Council ULEV Strategy and Action Plan in March 2022.
Ceredigion Council has been reducing its carbon emissions since 2007 when the Council first launched its five-year Carbon Management Plan. Since then, the Council has exceeded its carbon reduction targets and the reported figure for reduced emissions for 2023/24 was 60.78%.
Councillor Keith Henson, Cabinet Member for Highways and Environmental Services and Carbon Management has played a key role in advancing the Carbon Net Zero challenge, chairing regular meetings of the Carbon Net Zero group and lobbying the Welsh Government to provide funding to develop various schemes to reduce emissions. Improvements have been made to non-domestic buildings, energy efficient street lighting and fleet vehicles in order to reduce emissions, and advancements in electronic and hybrid meetings have also contributed to a significant reduction in business mileage.
Councillor Keith Henson said: “This is the latest in a long list of exciting and innovative projects to reduce our emissions and to achieve Carbon Net Zero. We are awaiting the outcome of further applications for funding for 2025/26, and if successful, these trials will provide us with a wealth of information and experience to inform future development and an expansion of this scheme to other areas within Ceredigion.”