£3.5m for 150 new electric vehicle points in Cornwall

The new points would bring the number of public charging spots to more than 360 by 2023, Cornwall Council said

More than £3.5m is to be spent on installing 150 new electric vehicle charging points in Cornwall.

The EU's European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is contributing £2.9m and Cornwall Council £725,000.

The points will be installed in locations including council-owned car parks and in areas with few or no charging points, the council said.

It would bring the number of public charging points available to more than 360 by 2023, it added.

Last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson said new cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030.

The council said improving access to charging points "well before this date will provide Cornwall with the infrastructure to help residents make the switch to electric or hybrid vehicles and help cut carbon emissions".

Edwina Hannaford, council cabinet member for climate change, added road transport accounted for 22% of Cornwall's carbon footprint, so "reducing it needs to be a focus of our activity".

He said: "Travel in Cornwall isn't as easy as in major cities where public transport is more readily available, but with electric vehicles becoming more widely available we have to increase the infrastructure to support them and help people make the switch."