More parking bays are to become dedicated charging electric vehicles in a bid to boost uptake.
In the seven months from November to June, some bays in the city have been used more than 200 times.
But six – five of which are next to parking bays which can be used by any car – have not been used at all in that time.
The city now has 198 charging points, which have been collectively used more than 10,000 times since being installed last summer.
Of the 10 most-used bays since November, nine are reserved for the use of electric vehicles.
In contrast, of the ten least-used bays, just one is – in Adelaide Crescent.
Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee Amy Heley said: “Use of our electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure continues to grow month on month with consistent use of more than 90% of the city’s charging network.
“We now have almost 900 EVs registered in the city and expect to have around 5000 by 2025 so it’s important we continue to build for the future and not just the present. We know one of the barriers to EV ownership is anxiety about charging availability.
“We have 57 mandatory EV charging bays in the city, which include rapid and fast chargers, with another 30 planned for the autumn with 50 more early next year.
“Residents can also contact us if they find that bays are being regularly blocked by diesel or petrol vehicles, and we will consider them for a mandatory bay.”
The charging points were installed with £300,000 of funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles and a further £100,000 investment from Electric Blue who were chosen to install, maintain and manage the charging points.
Four new rapid charging taxi hubs have also been installed at Preston Park, Ashton Rise and Victoria Road. These can also be used by residents and visitors until taxi uptake demands all the bays.
How often has each bay been used?
| Location | Times Used | Zone | Mandatory |
| Lewes Crescent | 225 | H | Yes |
| Wish Road | 203 | W | Yes |
| Islingword Road | 186 | V | Yes |
| Lansdowne Place | 176 | M | Yes |
| Ditchling Gardens | 168 | G | Yes |
| Waldegrave Road | 153 | J | Yes |
| Ditchling Road | 140 | F | Yes |
| Osborne Road | 135 | F | Yes |
| East Drive | 134 | C | No |
| Clermont Road | 131 | K | Yes |
| St Lukes Terrace | 130 | C | No |
| Bristol Street | 126 | H | No |
| Leighton Road | 123 | R | Yes |
| Saxon Road | 121 | W | No |
| Queens Park Road | 120 | C | Yes |
| Dyke Road Drive | 119 | Q | No |
| Norton Road | 116 | N | Yes |
| Prince’s Road | 114 | J | No |
| Freshfield Road | 112 | C | No |
| Erroll Road | 112 | L | No |
| Langdale Gardens | 104 | W | No |
| Lucerne Road | 103 | J | No |
| Montpelier Road | 103 | Z | Yes |
| Hove Park Villas | 102 | T | No |
| Centurion Road | 101 | Y | Yes |
| Maresfield Road | 100 | H | No |
| Westbourne Street | 98 | R | Yes |
| Princes Cresent, Hove | 98 | R | No |
| Belle Vue Gardens | 97 | H | No |
| Hamilton Road | 92 | Q | No |
| Glendale Road | 90 | O | No |
| Lawrence Road | 89 | W | No |
| Suffolk Street | 86 | R | No |
| Lowther Road | 81 | F | No |
| Hartington Road | 81 | S | Yes |
| St Lukes Terrace | 80 | C | No |
| Selborne Road | 79 | N | No |
| Edburton Avenue | 77 | J | No |
| Luther Street | 77 | V | Yes |
| Bigwood Avenue | 74 | O | No |
| Fourth Avenue | 73 | N | No |
| Mansfield Road | 73 | L | No |
| Marmion Road | 73 | R | No |
| Beaconsfield Villas | 72 | J | Yes |
| Rugby Road | 71 | J | No |
| Stanmer Villas | 70 | Outside CPZ | No |
| Holland Road | 68 | M | No |
| Kings Road | 67 | Z | Yes |
| Herbert Road | 65 | F Ext | No |
| Poynter Road | 63 | R | No |
| Sudeley Street | 63 | H | No |
| Port Hall Place | 61 | Q | No |
| Chester terrace | 61 | J | No |
| Loder Road | 61 | F Ext | No |
| Portland Road | 60 | L | Yes |
| Wilbury Villas | 58 | O | No |
| Lyndhurst Road | 56 | O | No |
| Cleveland Road | 52 | J | No |
| Southover Street | 51 | V | No |
| Carlton Hill | 50 | C | No |
| Woodruff Ave | 49 | P | No |
| Regency Square Car Park | 47 | M | Yes |
| Norfolk Terrace | 46 | Z | No |
| Second Avenue | 45 | N | No |
| Montgomery Street | 45 | R | No |
| Cleveland Road | 43 | J | No |
| Vallance Road | 43 | N | No |
| Regency Square Car Park | 41 | M | Yes |
| Reigate Road | 40 | A | No |
| Hampden Road | 38 | V | No |
| Richardson Road | 38 | W | No |
| Montpelier Cresent | 38 | Y | No |
| Freshfield Road | 38 | S | No |
| Holland Road | 38 | O | No |
| Albion Hill | 37 | V | No |
| Hythe Road | 36 | F | No |
| Seafield Road | 36 | N | No |
| Third avenue | 35 | N | No |
| Matlock Road | 35 | E | No |
| Alpine Road | 35 | R | No |
| Sandgate Road | 35 | F | No |
| Tamworth Road | 34 | R | No |
| Holland Road | 33 | M | No |
| Havelock Road | 33 | J | No |
| Lorna Road | 33 | O | No |
| St Helens Road | 33 | S | No |
| Buxton Road | 31 | Q | Yes |
| Hollingbury Road | 31 | G | Yes |
| London Road Car Park | 29 | Y | Yes |
| Albion Hill | 28 | V | No |
| Trafalgar Street Car Park | 28 | Y | Yes |
| Lancaster Road | 27 | Q | No |
| Bloomsbury Place | 27 | H | No |
| Bevendean Crescent | 26 | D | No |
| Ewart Street | 26 | V | No |
| Norfolk Road | 26 | Z | No |
| London Road Car Park | 25 | Y | Yes |
| Eaton Gardens | 23 | N | No |
| Dyke Road Drive | 23 | Q | No |
| Broad Street | 23 | C | No |
| Pembroke Ave | 22 | R | No |
| Victoria Road | 21 | Y | No |
| Clyde Road | 20 | J | No |
| Roundhill Cresent | 20 | J | No |
| Goldstone Road | 20 | N | No |
| Erroll Road | 20 | L | No |
| Beaconsfield Villas | 20 | J | No |
| Florence Road | 20 | J | No |
| Sackville Gardens | 20 | R | No |
| Marine Square | 19 | H | No |
| Compton Avenue | 19 | Y | No |
| Tisbury Road | 19 | N | No |
| Arundel Street | 18 | H | No |
| Salisbury Road | 18 | N | No |
| Regency Square | 17 | Z | No |
| St James Ave | 17 | C | No |
| Portland Place | 17 | H | Yes |
| London Road Car Park | 17 | Y | Yes |
| Langdale Road | 16 | R | No |
| Westbourne Street | 16 | R | No |
| Buckingham Road | 16 | Y | No |
| Upper Rock Gardens | 16 | C | No |
| Buckingham Road | 15 | Y | No |
| Norman Road | 15 | W | No |
| Franklin Road | 15 | V | No |
| Somerhill Road | 15 | O | No |
| First Avenue | 15 | N | No |
| Freshfield Road | 15 | S | No |
| Elm Grove | 14 | V | No |
| West Hill Street | 14 | Y | No |
| Wilbury Ave | 14 | T | No |
| Wellington Road | 14 | V | No |
| Bates Road | 13 | F Ext | No |
| Elm Grove | 13 | S | No |
| Roedale Road | 12 | Outside CPZ | No |
| Walsingham Ave | 12 | R | No |
| Bolsover Road | 12 | R | No |
| Blaker Street | 12 | C | No |
| The Lanes Car Park | 12 | Z | Yes |
| Tivoli Crescent | 11 | A | No |
| Richmond Street | 11 | C | No |
| Chesham street | 11 | H | No |
| Stoneham Road | 11 | R | Yes |
| Carlisle Road | 10 | R | No |
| Quebec Street | 9 | V | No |
| Goldstone Villas | 9 | N | No |
| Addison Road | 9 | O | No |
| Montgomery Street | 8 | R | No |
| Kingsthorpe Road | 8 | R | Yes |
| Byron Street | 8 | R | No |
| St Leonards Road, Hove | 8 | L | No |
| The Lanes Car Park | 8 | Z | Yes |
| Portland road | 7 | R | No |
| Davignor Road | 7 | O | No |
| Wilbury Road | 6 | N | No |
| Hova Villas | 6 | N | No |
| Cowper Street | 6 | R | No |
| Rutland Road | 6 | R | No |
| Robertson Road | 6 | A | No |
| Coleridge Street | 6 | R | No |
| Gordon Road | 6 | F | No |
| Powis Road | 6 | Y | No |
| Colbourne Road | 6 | O | No |
| Connaught Road | 5 | N | No |
| Freshfield street | 5 | C | No |
| Wordsworth St | 5 | R | No |
| Craven Road | 5 | I | Yes |
| Maresfield Road | 4 | H | No |
| Waterloo Street | 4 | M | No |
| Russell Square | 4 | Z | No |
| Ventnor Villas | 4 | N | No |
| Queens Park Road | 4 | V | No |
| Upper Bedford street | 3 | C | No |
| Beaconsfield Villas | 3 | J | No |
| Byron Street | 3 | R | No |
| Tilgate Close | 3 | I | No |
| Kemp Street | 3 | Y | No |
| York Road | 3 | M | No |
| Borough Street | 3 | Z | No |
| Sillwood Road | 2 | Z | No |
| Argyle Road | 2 | J | No |
| Surrenden Road | 2 | Outside CPZ | No |
| Adelaide Crescent | 2 | M | Yes |
| Carlyle Street | 1 | V | No |
| Sheridan Terrace | 1 | R | No |
| Springfield Road | 1 | J | No |
| Vale Road, Portslade | 1 | Outside CPZ | No |
| St Andrews Road, Portslade | 1 | Outside CPZ | No |
| Cambridge Road | 1 | M | No |
| Portland Road | 1 | R | No |
| Arthur Street | 1 | R | No |
| Adelaide Crescent | 0 | M | Yes |
| Chichester Place | 0 | H | No |
| Southover Street | 0 | V | No |
| Hartington Villas | 0 | T | No |
| Bedford Place | 0 | Z | No |
| Hograth Road | 0 | W | No |
| Portland Road | 0 | R | No |
Good to see the council encouraging the use of EVs – just a shame that they will be included in the proposed car ban.
For the council to meet it’s PLEDGE to make the city carbon neutral by 2030, I wonder how many charging points will be needed on the city, and what proportion of vehicles will need to switch to batteries to meet this promise?
What about streets where lamp-post charging is not possible due to the location away from the road?
How far do the council expect EV owners to walk to get to the nearest charging point, or will owners have to request special parking spaces as disabled drivers can do now.
We also need to factor in the EV penalty where it requires an EV to travel 50,000 miles to overcome the additional carbon generated building one compared to an ICE. If you plan to drive less than this distance over the life of your car, then perhaps a modern Euro 6 compliant petrol or diesel would be better for the environment.
If you are a high mileage motorist then the benefits of an EV are even more beneficial, but then, if you do have a garage or a drive then it would be better to charge it yourself with even standard prices two-thirds of the price that Electric Blue charge. If you get one of the new overnight EV special rates the price is even lower, and if you have your own Solar PV you could charge your batteries for free.
£300,000 subsidy and its been used 10,000 times, according to this article. That’s £30 a charge paid for by my taxes.
Given that electric cars still clog up the roads slowing buses, endanger pedestrians and cyclists, and cut the carbon footprint of a petrol-driven car by less than 50%, I would far rather my taxes were used to support public transport and build useable cycle lanes.
Would having dedicated bays help? Currently whenever I pass an electric charging point there is a non electric car parked in front of it. You could have a maximum stay of 24 hours or so. Currently there’s nothing stopping someone parking their car next to an electric charger and not moving their car for a few weeks.
Yup, even an electric bicycle will have a far lower carbon footprint than an EV, less dangerous and more efficient use of renewable energy.