Electric vehicles (EV) and the climate emergency
Cornwall Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019. To tackle it, Cornwall needs to be carbon neutral by 2030. Road traffic generates 875,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year. This is 93% of Cornish transport emissions. Transitioning to electric vehicles is part of the solution to reduce our emissions.
For more information on how we are making transport more sustainable follow the links below:
- How Cornwall Council is supporting the transition to electric vehicles
- The Cornwall Transport Plan
- Climate Emergency: What is Cornwall Council doing?
Planning your journey with your electric vehicle in Cornwall
A detailed map of public and private charging points is available at Zap Map , or SWARCO e-connect for SWARCO Charge Points.
Charge Points can be booked using the Just Charge website. (Other providers for booking charge points are available)
For more information about how to use Cornwall Council's EV charge points in please visit our Electric Vehicle Charge Point webpage
Support to buy and charge electric vehicles
The following links can provide further information on:
- General information about buying and charging an electric vehicle
- Government grants to buy an electric vehicle
- Chargepoint grant for renters and flat owners
- Chargepoint grant for households with on-street parking
- Chargepoint and infrastructure grant for business staff and fleet car parks
- Chargepoint and infrastructure grant for landlords, including car parks
- Workplace charging scheme (including: businesses, charities, public sector organisations and small accommodation businesses)
- Workplace charging scheme for state-funded education institutions
For further information on central government’s VAT treatment of electric vehicle charging and when tax can be recovered for business purposes, please visit Revenue and Customs Brief 7 (2021): VAT liability of charging of electric vehicles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Charging Cables on the Highway
Preference would always be to charge off-street or using a dedicated charging point. Details of all electric vehicle charging points in Cornwall is at Zap-Map (UK). As the Highway Authority, Cornwall Council handles safety for all road users. We will not give permission for installation of private units on the Highway due to the various legal restrictions.
Cornwall Council has approved the installation of Kerbocharge channels for charging electric vehicles. You will need a licence from Cornwall Council to install the EV channel. Please visit apply to install an EV Charging Channel for further information about applying for a licence. You can also view details about central government funding to install a charge point if you park on-street.
How Cornwall Council is supporting the transition to electric vehicles
We will be publishing an Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy in Spring 2024. This sets out:
- our vision for expanding EV charging infrastructure in Cornwall
- an action plan to 2030
- the role of the Council in this process
A copy of the draft Strategy was presented to the Economic Growth and Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee. You can see a copy of the draft Strategy and read the conversation about it in the committee papers.
