New electric car chargers have been installed in Whitchurch and Overton as part of plans to promote electric vehicles.

Three fast chargers have been installed by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) at Bell Street and Gill Nethercott car parks in Whitchurch, and at London Street car park Overton. The units can each charge two cars at once, and can fully charge a car in as little as two hours in some cases.

BDBC cabinet member for the natural environment and climate improvement, Cllr Mark Ruffell, said: “I am delighted that these three fast chargers are now installed and ready for use in Whitchurch and Overton.

“I hope that they will offer electric vehicle drivers more convenience as they travel around the borough and encourage more people to opt for greener travel options.

“By choosing environmentally-friendly travel, people can help us to reduce the borough’s carbon emissions and take us closer to our Climate Emergency targets.”

At present, there are a number of electric vehicle chargers across Basingstoke and Deane. Some of these are available to all and in public ownership, while others are privately owned.

BDBC, for instance, has 11 available in Basingstoke, including Feather’s Yard, which is solely for the use of electric vehicles. It was the county’s first car park to go fully electric when the hub opened in November 2020.

In Whitchurch, there is currently an electric charging point at the Bell Inn, which is run through the Zero Carbon World charity.

The three new sites, however, are council installed, having been funded by £22,500 from the government with £11,500 from developer contributions.

The council hopes that installing more chargers will encourage more electric cars on the roads, with research by the RAC estimating there are currently around 239,000 zero-emission battery electric vehicles on the UK's roads, of which over 100,000 were registered in 2020 alone. In addition, there are also 259,000 plug-in hybrids.

Capacity for these cars will need to increase over the coming decade, with the Prime Minister announcing last year that no more new solely petrol and diesel vehicles will be sold from 2030.

To ensure that future facilities are available in the right places, Hampshire County Council is currently running a survey to help identify locations where the need for electric charging facilities is greatest.

Members of the public can take part here: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/electric-vehicles