Bicester based Charge Point Operator; EZ Charge have announced that a funding agreement for a £1.2m investment into the Park and Charge Oxfordshire project has now been signed by Oxfordshire County Council.
This funding is from the Office of Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), through their On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) and allows for the installation of fast EV charging hubs that will shortly be appearing in 20 local authority car parks throughout Oxfordshire.
The ORCS is available to UK local authorities to increase the availability of charge points for residents that do not have access to home-charging and provides up to 75% funding for projects addressing this issue.
This is one of the largest ORCS grant awards to date.
EZ Charge will supply, install, operate and maintain the chargers.
EZ-Charge is an Oxfordshire-based charge point manufacturer and operator dedicated to providing reliable and straightforward EV charging infrastructure. By collaborating with Oxfordshire County Council and the University of Oxford, EZ-Charge are now in a position to roll out their 'Park and Charge' project throughout the county.
Up to 280 charge points will be installed and operational by February 2022.
Key aims of this project are:
- To develop the Oxfordshire Park and Charge project in local authority car parks, facilitating over 2,800 EVs from year one and to expand the offer to other local authorities.
- Accelerate the adoption of EVs by providing high-quality, convenient charging infrastructure.
- Share the expertise and technology, supplying innovative EV charging solutions to meet the rapid growth of the EV market.
- Continue to develop state-of-the-art charging technology, creating jobs and economic benefits for Oxfordshire.
Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said: "Offering accessible and reliable charging infrastructure is vital in our mission to decarbonise transport. That's why I'm thrilled our £20m On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme is supporting Oxfordshire County Council, making it even easier for residents to switch to electric vehicles."
Phil Shadbolt OBE, Chairman and CEO, EZ-Charge “This funding is essential to enable the roll out of this prestigious project for Oxfordshire. We are delighted to be one of the largest ORCS projects thus far.
"This will give our investors in EZ Charge significant confidence in the project and will enable us to scale up with our ambitious program to deliver the best EV infrastructure in the UK."
