Two more car parks in Tewkesbury and Winchcombe have been fitted with public electric vehicle (EV) chargers. The Gloucester Road car park in Tewkesbury and Back Lane car park in Winchcombe – both owned by Tewkesbury Borough Council – have switched on their 22kW Standard Plus Evolt chargers. Each installation can charge two electric vehicles at the same time.
With EV uptake rising across the UK, rural areas have often seen their charging infrastructure develop more slowly than in urban centres. To help close this gap, Tewkesbury Borough Council secured £41,125 from the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, covering around two‑thirds of the total cost.
Cllr Cate Cody, Lead Member for Climate and Ecology said:
“These new charge points are already popular with our residents and visitors, giving electric vehicle drivers easy recharging whilst enjoying our historic and beautiful towns.
“I’m also delighted that from Friday, 1 May, we will be offering free parking for those using our EV charge points – this will create opportunities for local businesses, as well as making it easier for Winchcombe and Tewkesbury town residents without home‑charging to switch to an electric car which they can charge at their local car park.”
Evolt Charging installed two double charge point units in the car parks on behalf of the borough council. These add to the council’s electric vehicle charging network, which includes Spring Gardens car park and the council offices, both in Tewkesbury.
Barbara Wilson, New Business Development Manager, Evolt Charging commented:
“We’re delighted to see these new charge points up and running. Following the success of our Spring Gardens launch event, which has already encouraged strong use of the EV charge points, drivers in both Tewkesbury and Winchcombe can now simply plug in through our easy‑to‑use app, grab a coffee, and enjoy everything these towns have to offer.”
Gloucester Road car park users will notice a raised platform beneath the new charge points, designed to protect the equipment from local flood risk as far as possible. Drivers can access the chargers using the Zapmap app, or via contactless payment cards like the Zapmap charging card, and will need to use their own charging cables to connect their vehicle. The charge points are priced at 50p per kWh, plus a 30p transaction fee.
