Northumberland County Council has passed a motion to add 36 public electric vehicle charging points at 26 locations, extending the authority's existing charging network in the northeast of England.
Most of the new infrastructure, 78 per cent, will be installed on land owned by the council. The remaining charge points will sit on third-party land under licensing agreements.
The rollout is financed by just over £1 million in external funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. Revenue generated by the chargers will be used to meet their running costs, management and maintenance, and the funding is intended to support deployment until 2029.
Installation and upkeep will be handled by the council's in-house EV team. Richard Wearmouth, cabinet member with responsibility for transport, said the investment in charging provision was welcome, noting that the county has one of the largest road networks in the country and that adequate facilities are needed to help people get around.
The expansion follows the entry into service of 14 BYD BD11 battery-electric buses a few months ago. Northumberland borders Scotland and is home to Hadrian's Wall and the Northumberland National Park.