The provision of electric vehicle on-street charging infrastructure for Surrey residents
Surrey County Council recognises the significant benefits that electric vehicles can offer over petrol and diesel vehicles, particularly in relation to air quality and public health.
In 2018 the council published its first Electric Vehicle Strategy which highlights the importance of charging infrastructure in giving people the confidence to switch to electric vehicles (EVs). On-street charging is expected to form an important part of the charging network in some areas.
The strategy committed to undertake further work so that the council could develop an on-street charging policy and address some of the questions below:
- What types of on-street locations would offer the greatest possible benefit to users (e.g. residential streets or main roads)?
- What charging point speeds are most appropriate for different on-street locations?
- Should the council own and operate public charging points or should the network be run by another organisation?
- How can such charging points be funded and maintained?
- Should parking spaces be reserved for electric vehicles?
- What restrictions might the capacity of the local electricity network have on certain locations?
As part of this work the council is undertaking an electric vehicle charging point rollout to install a number of on-street charging points in different locations in the west of the county.
Beyond the pilot project, the council does not currently install on-street charging infrastructure more generally and is unable to action requests for individual on-street charge points (although we may consider applications relating to strategic schemes such as car club sites). We do however want to take demand from residents into account for future planning, so if you would like to see a charging point on your street or have an idea for another location, requests can be made using our interactive map and survey: