One of the most tourism-reliant and rural counties in England is desperately short of electric vehicle charging points, according to a report.
Cornwall Council, which carried out the research, estimates that there are only 408 publicly available installations in the county. However, it says up to 4,510 will be needed by 2030, based on the projected growth in numbers of electric vehicles.
The report also says that 27% of Cornwall’s residents could be driving an EV by 2030, compared with just 2.4% in 2023.
Richard Williams-Pears, Cornwall Council’s cabinet member responsible for transport, says the council has been installing its own units in some rural locations where the private sector is unlikely to invest in charging infrastructure.
Last year, the council said a project to improve its own EV network had exceeded a 150 chargepoint target, with 184 installations operational across 35 local authority car parks.
The council has been consulting with the public and businesses and will next debate the issue at the end of February, with the full cabinet discussing the matter in May. It says the report will form the basis of its strategy for expanding the chargepoint network to 2030 and beyond.
