The future of electric vehicles in Southampton

Southampton City Council is seeking a supplier to help them deliver electric vehicle infrastructure capable of accommodating the future needs of our city

Southampton City Council is seeking a supplier to help them deliver electric vehicle infrastructure capable of accommodating the future needs of our city. This supplier is expected to oversee a step change in the rollout of charging facilities in council car parks, on our streets and in our estates. This will include offering the latest technology at the scale needed to satisfy growth and encourage further demand in the local EV market.

The council has become the largest operator of public EV chargers in the city with over 50 chargers across its car parks. In 2020 the government announced its intention to end the sale of new cars powered by petrol and diesel combustion engines by 2030. Since that announcement, electric vehicle sales increased by 186% in 2021. There are now approximately 400,000 electric and 750,000 plug-in hybrids on UK roads and charging infrastructure is a matter of priority. The council recognises that it has an important role to play in ensuring there are adequate charging facilities across the city to satisfy this growth and to achieve this a specialist with the necessary expertise in this area is needed.

Councillor Steven Galton, Cabinet Member for Environment says:

"Southampton City Council currently operates more than 50 public charging points in the city as well as offering free Itchen bridge crossings and reduced priced parking to EV owners. We have agreed to seek a supplier who can help us secure additional technology and infrastructure to support the future growth and demand of electric vehicles in our city and ensure Southampton leads the way reducing local emissions and building on our green economy.”