Electric vehicle charging costs coming down as charger numbers set to surge

28/05/2024

Author: Mankirat Kaur

It’s going to be cheaper to charge an electric vehicle in Brighton & Hove from next week.

A fall in the cost of wholesale electric means from Wednesday 29 May, charging operator Blink will be reducing the amount it costs to use city lamppost, rapid and fast charges.

According to the Zapmap price index, the new pricing will be cheaper than the national average.

New chargers on the way

The price fall comes as we’re about to start the rollout of 120 new charge point sockets.

This will be on top of the 368 the city already has and possible thanks to a Department for Transport grant of £442,000 and £290,000 of private sector investment from Blink.

The new chargers are part of our plan to install 1650 across Brighton & Hove over the next three years.

Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking and Public Realm said: “This really is great news for the increasing number of Electric Vehicle drivers in Brighton & Hove.

“The city already has one of the best Electric Vehicle charging infrastructures in the country, but it’s vital we continue to review, improve and expand to keep up with growing demand.

“By bringing the cost of charging down and upping the number of charge points, we encourage and support EV use enabling more residents, businesses and visitors to plug in. More zero emissions vehicles in our city help improve air quality and move us closer to meeting our Net Zero goals.”

Meeting increasing demand

The rollout of new charges will help meet the increasing demand for charging points.

There’s been a 33% increase in the number of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids registered in the city in the last year, meaning there are now more than 3000.

In 2023/24 there was a 15% increase in the number of hours users spent charging their vehicles, reaching almost 1.5 million.

Click here to see prices from the 29th of May.