Manchester gets electric car scheme

Manchester now has pay as you go charging points for commuters to charge electric cars. More than 250 charging bays across the ten Greater Manchester districts went live yesterday as […]

Manchester now has pay as you go charging points for commuters to charge electric cars.

More than 250 charging bays across the ten Greater Manchester districts went live yesterday as part of the Greater Manchester Electric Vehicle (GMEV) scheme.

Places like the Royal Infirmary, the Trafford shopping centre and various car parks have charging points.

Customers planning to use the charging bays can either register online and receive an access card in the post, register via a mobile app downloadable from the website or simply pay as you go by phone.

Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester committee said: “Safe and dependable transport is essential to the region and to the economy but we are also working with our partners to provide more sustainable, low-carbon travel choices: be it bus, rail, tram, bike or cars.”

Norman Baker, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport said: “It’s initiatives like the GMEV charging scheme that are bringing to life the Coalition Government’s ambition to put in place a comprehensive and effective national infrastructure. This will enable ultra low emission drivers to make the journeys that they need to.”

Recharging a typical EV fully in a GMEV bay will take roughly three to four hours – up to three times faster than charging at home.

The charging points are funded by £1.7 million from the Office for Low Emission Vehicle’s (OLEV) as part of the ‘Plugged In Places’ scheme and another £1 million from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).

A list of the charging points can be found on the Greater Manchester Electric Vehicle Scheme‘s website.

Latest Podcast