Stockport Council and Be.EV open first EV charging hub

Stockport residents have received their first EV charging hub as part of an ongoing £15 million investment.

The Romiley Stockport location is equipped with four charging bays – two ultra-rapid, one rapid and one fast. The hub’s cutting-edge ultra-rapid chargers can add around 125 miles of range in a short 15-minute stop.

The new charging hub, located near the Romiley precinct, marks the start of the partnership between Stockport Council and Be.EV.

The deal, signed in March last year, put Stockport at the forefront of the EV revolution, with Romiley being the first of 20 installations that Be.EV has agreed to deliver.

To celebrate the start of the partnership, Be.EV is also giving members 24 hours of free charging at the site.

The state-of-the-art charging hub will provide a boost to the local economy and provide EV drivers with reliable and convenient charging whilst they shop on the nearby high street.

Romiley is located 10 minutes from the M60 – which sees an average of more than 83,000 vehicles a day. Stockport has close to 2,700 registered electric vehicles, drivers of which will be able to charge their car whilst commuting or visiting the nearby retailers.

Anyone will be able to use the chargers, with Be.EV members able to charge their car at a discounted rate. Local residents will also benefit, with Stockport Council receiving a share of the revenue from the charge points.

The Romiley site sees Stockport join the largest public EV charging network in Greater Manchester, connecting communities across the UK, with Be.EV boasting impressive reliability across the entire network (99.6% operational availability since launch).

Be.EV funded all up-front installation and operating costs for the Romiley Precinct hub, as well as managed the design, build, installation of the site, and ongoing maintenance – delivering a turn-key solution for Stockport Council.

Cllr Mark Roberts, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, said: “It is fantastic to see the first charging point in operation following the agreement signed in 2023.

“The whole of Stockport, including the council, residents and businesses, must make big changes to reduce our emissions now so that we stop contributing to climate change and providing this new infrastructure will help us on that challenging journey.

“Installing more electric vehicle chargers is a key element for the council with regards to its commitment to taking action on climate change as we aim for Stockport to be carbon neutral by 2038.”

Cllr Grace Baynham, Cabinet Member for Parks, Highways and Transport Services, said: “The new chargers will be a great asset to our residents, in locations where they can access them easily.

“We’ve worked hard to identify areas for the new chargers and I’m looking forward to more being available to residents over the upcoming months.”

Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV said: “It is great to see the first hub from our partnership with Stockport Council up and running, and we’re excited to install more state-of-the-art charging infrastructure across the borough.

“Stockport Council is getting ahead of the curve by providing reliable ultra-rapid and rapid charging for its residents to use that do not have off-road parking of their own, while generating additional footfall to retail hot spots.

“Other councils should sit up and take notice – sites like these are perfect for simultaneously achieving their net-zero transition goals while also providing a boost to local businesses.”