AN ELECTRIC vehicle charging company has pledged to rollout tens of thousands of roadside chargers as part of a new £1.9 billion investment.

Connected Kerb revealed that West Sussex County Council will deploy thousands of public charge points over the next ten years in a deal aimed to provide a blueprint for other local authorities in the future.

The firm has signed partnerships for 10,000 chargers in 2021, with 30,000 in the pipeline for 2022.

The £1.9 billion investment will see 190,000 chargers installed nationwide by 2030.

Council cabinet member for environment and climate change Deborah Urquhart said the rollout of roadside chargers is designed to give drivers unable to charge at home more opportunities to top up their batteries.

“Electric vehicles offer us an opportunity to travel without emitting carbon or having a negative impact on air quality, but we know that lack of public charge points is preventing many West Sussex residents from making the switch,” she said.

“I’m delighted to be taking another step forward to address this problem which will help residents take practical steps to address climate change and I look forward to working alongside Connected Kerb and our district and borough colleagues to deliver the network of West Sussex charge points.”

Connected Kerb is fully funding the project and will manage and maintain the chargers.

Research by energy watchdog Ofgem has found that one in four UK households intend to buy an electric car in the next five years, as the 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles approaches.

However, Connected Kerb says there is currently just one public-access on-street charger for every 52 electric vehicles (EVs).

Dr Chris Pateman-Jones, chief executive officer of Connected Kerb, said: “Knowing you can arrive at virtually any location, at any time, in any vehicle and charge your battery without inconvenience or faff is the reality we must deliver to create an EV society.

“This project – the largest of its kind in the UK – personifies that future, helping residents to reduce their carbon footprint and making electric vehicle charging accessible to those without off-street parking.”