Call for council to gear up for electric cars

The owner of an electric car says more charging points are needed to encourage motorists to consider green alternatives to petrol and diesel.

Mr Andrew Richards drives a Nissan Leaf that he is able to charge at his home on Mead Way, Balderton.

He uses the car for his daily 48-mile round trip to RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, where he works as a gate guard.

Mr Richards, 37, who pays £100 a month to lease the car, is planning on tackling longer journeys, but wants to see more charging points for electric cars installed across the UK.

In the Newark area, the only public charging points are in the Asda carpark, where up to four vehicles can be charged at one time.

Two charging points have been installed at Castle House, the headquarters of Newark and Sherwood District Council, but during the week they can be used only by its employees. Members of the public can use them when the carpark is open at weekends and bank holidays.

The council is reviewing all its carparks with a view to introducing electric charging points on a pre-pay basis.

It hopes to have them in place this year and they would be accessible around-the-clock.

Mr Richards said: “Lack of infrastructure is a big bugbear of electric vehicle owners.

“I am not the only one asking their local council to try to get a network of charging points.”

Mr Richards said Lincoln had a similar problem to Newark with few charging points.

“I have been to the Asda one in Newark and I know it is used regularly,” he said.

'My reason for buying one was to save money'

Mr Richards said it cost around £2 for a full charge at home.

“It might not be worth it for some people as they just want to get up and go,” he said.

“But if you are prioritising cost then it is worth it.”

Mr Richards said he researched what kind of electric car to buy for around a year.

“My reason for buying one was to save money,” he said.

“The cost of fuel is going up and the cost of tax is going up.

“I had a diesel car and there was nothing wrong with it, but it got to the stage where you needed to move with the times.

“Electric vehicles have come on to the second-hand market and this one was practical and a reasonable price.”

Mr Richards’ car has a maximum range of 130 miles, but he makes sure it is charged up at least every 90 miles.

He is planning on taking it on a long-distance trip to Belgium.

He said he had planned the trip and calculated it would cost around £1.40 per 100 miles using charging points along the way and in Belgium.