Portsmouth installs 62 on-street EV chargers – and a rapid charger just for taxis and PHVs

Portsmouth is becoming one of the UK’s most EV-friendly cities following the installation of 62 more on-street electric vehicle chargers.

The latest round of installations includes a rapid charger especially for taxis and private hire vehicles to use in Stubbington Avenue. This is part of an ongoing project to install nine rapid chargers in car parks across the city including the Park and Ride, D-Day museum in Southsea, Cosham and the city centre.

A total of 62 new on-street charge points have been installed as a result of more than £200,000 in funding received from the Office for Zero Emissions (OZEV). These have been installed by charge point infrastructure partner, JoJu Charging. They add to the network of 36 charge points already installed with Ubitricity.

Cllr Lynne Stagg, Portsmouth Council cabinet member for traffic & transportation, said: “We’ve seen plenty of interest in electric vehicles locally, from both residents and the taxi and private hire trade. We hope that the ability to charge outside your own home as a domestic user, or rapidly as part of your day as a trade user, will be a great incentive to join the revolution and reduce emissions further.”

“We are making it easier for you to consider an electric vehicle, even if you don’t have a driveway. While we understand they are not the complete solution for removing harmful emissions, they do produce much lower levels of pollution and have a place in making our air cleaner.”

Chas Warlow from Joju Charging said: “It’s great to be working with Portsmouth City Council to help residents and local taxi drivers charge their electric vehicles, with this leading ‘pay-as you-go’ solution across the city.”

Many houses in Portsmouth do not have access to a driveway or garage to charge off street. The city is the first to install charge points on-street, using pay-as-you-go lamp column supplied charging, which is accessed via designated parking bays.

The new charging points can be found in a range of locations across the city and have been installed based on resident requests. Residents can contact the council and request a charge point in their street. Full details of where they are located is on the website: https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/services/parking-roads-and-travel/travel/electric-charge-points/