Larkfleet Installs Oakham's First Town Centre Electric Vehicle Charging Point

The Larkfleet Group (www.larkfleetgroup.co.uk) has just completed installation of the first public electric vehicle charging point in Oakham town centre. The installation in the Church Street car park was undertaken for Oakham Town Council. It can charge two cars at the same time, typically providing a 75 per cent charge for an electric car over a period of three hours. The government is keen to promote low carbon emission/electric vehicles to help reduce road transport emissions throughout the UK and is therefore providing grants for the installation of charging points. The cost of the Oakham charging point was entirely met by grants from Plugged-In Midlands and the Local Strategic Partnership. Owners of electric vehicles will need a ‘Plugged-in-Midlands’ access card before they can use the charging socket. This is the second charging point installed in Oakham by Larkfleet. There is already one at Leighfield Park, the housing development at Oakham Heights being built by Larkfleet Homes (www.larkfleethomes.co.uk), which has been installed as part of the developer’s commitment to promoting a more sustainable lifestyle. Ian Greenfield, director of Larkfleet Group company Eco Building Products which installed both of the Oakham charging points, said: “The network of charging points has now reached the stage where drivers of electric vehicles can be almost as confident of finding a charging point when they need one as readily as drivers of petrol-fuelled vehicles can be sure of finding a filling station. “However, there is going to be a growing demand for charging points and we are therefore keen to install more of them in places such as shopping centres, golf courses, country clubs and hotel car parks throughout East Anglia and the East Midlands. Shops, pubs, clubs and other places which install charging points will attract customers who can charge their vehicles while using the facilities. “By increasing the number of charging points in the network we will be helping to promote the use of electric vehicles in the region.” Eco Building Products installs Chargemaster electric vehicle charging points and is often able to secure government grants to cover a large part of the cost. Oakham town councillor Alf Dewis said: “Oakham Town Council was keen to install the point because the town will be included in maps identifying charging points throughout the country and will therefore attract visitors to the town to charge their vehicles.” Funding from the Plugged-In Midlands project was delivered via Cenex, the UK’s first centre of excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies.