A new rapid charging point for electric vehicles has been installed in North Bridge car park, Halifax, and is ready to use. A second charger, in the town’s High Street car park, is due to follow soon.
This is part of a collaboration between West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield councils, and Leeds-based energy and services company, ENGIE. In total, 88 rapid charging points will be installed across West Yorkshire, supporting a joint commitment to reducing harmful emissions. Each charging point will have one bay exclusively for taxis and private hire vehicles and a second bay for use by the public.
As part of the network, in addition to the charging points in North Bridge and High Street car parks, a further six will be installed across Calderdale throughout the year to help tackle the climate emergency.
The rapid charging points can typically take under an hour to provide a full charge, depending on your vehicle. Each of the new sites will be free to use until the end of October 2021.
People can register to use the network online at ev.engie.co.uk(external link) where they can also locate their nearest West Yorkshire charging point and find updates on the opening of further points.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, Cllr Scott Patient, said:
“We want to create a healthier, greener and cleaner environment and by increasing our network of electric charging points across West Yorkshire, we can encourage the use of electric vehicles as an alternative to petrol and diesel cars.
“Electric vehicles are cleaner and cheaper to run and the scheme will be of particular benefit to taxi drivers and private hire operators, as there are designated bays at each location. We’ll soon be engaging with drivers to further promote the benefits of switching to electric or hybrid vehicles.
“By joining forces across West Yorkshire we’re able to work together to collectively tackle air pollution and fight against climate change – complementing our own Let’s Clear the Air campaign and our work to address the climate emergency we declared earlier this year.”
For more information about action in Calderdale to tackle the climate emergency, visit www.calderdale.gov.uk/climateemergency
Improving air quality, protecting the borough’s distinctive environment and making it more resilient is fundamental to the Vision2024 for Calderdale. In the year 2024, Calderdale will celebrate its 50th birthday. Where do we want to be by 2024? How will the Calderdale of 2024 be different from the place it is now? What ambitions do we share? Join the conversation by following #VisionCdale2024 on social media and visit www.calderdale.gov.uk/vision