North East England is soon to be the home of Europe’s most advanced quick charging network for electric vehicles, and businesses are being asked to help provide the spark.

As part of plans to install a total of 1,300 charging points by 2013, Regional Development Agency One North East is in the process of procuring 12 quick chargers and is now on the lookout for suitable locations where drivers can plug in.

The 50KW stations can recharge cars like the Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi i-MiEV to up to 80% of their capacity in 20-30 minutes, compared to eight hours for a full charge using a 3kw charge point or four hours using a 7kw charge point.

These advanced charging points will be a major weapon for combating so-called ‘range anxiety’ in drivers using electric vehicles, and by locating them in strategic locations it is hoped that they will provide reassurance for drivers that journeys beyond a full battery charge are possible in and around the North East.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Low carbon vehicles provide significant benefits including reducing CO2 emissions and improving air quality, but they do require appropriate recharging infrastructure. That is why these types of schemes are so important alongside our £5000 incentive scheme for ultra-low carbon cars which was given the go ahead yesterday.”

One North East is already in talks with a number of potential partners about hosting quick charge points. Roadside services are among the most likely locations, but any business or organisation located on or near the major trunk roads and spine roads in the North East are being invited to put themselves forward. Because of the prohibitively high up-front costs for these charge points, the Agency will finance their installation, but partners will be expected to provide a parking space and fund the ongoing maintenance and electricity costs.

This infrastructure work is part of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) 'Plugged-In Places' initiative, which is helping to establish electric vehicle recharging infrastructure in key strategic locations around the UK. The North East fund of £7.8m has been funded with £2.9m from OLEV, £3.8m from One North East and just over £1m from regional partners. The 1,300 charge points will also include residential charging points, along with the mixture of standard and ‘intelligent’ 7KW and 3KW charge points being installed at businesses and in public car parks.

Dr Colin Herron, Manufacturing and Productivity Manager at One North East, said: “The forward-thinking business community and partner organisations in the North East have put our region in an extremely strong position to roll out this infrastructure.

“We are now offering the opportunity to be one of the first locations in Europe for quick chargers which represent a real opportunity for businesses. As electric vehicles become more popular, these 12 sites will have the potential to attract significant numbers of drivers, who will be captive audience for a 20-minute period while they are charging up.”

Newcastle City Council is leading the delivery of the current phase of installations, which will take the number of regional charge points past 250 and will cover new locations including the Angel of the North in Gateshead, Claremont Road in Newcastle, Belmont Park & Ride in Durham, Hadrian’s Wall in the Northumberland National Park, Park Lane Interchange in Sunderland, Cobalt Business Park in North Tyneside, Souter Lighthouse in South Tyneside, Hartlepool Transport Interchange and at Teesside University.

The fund which offers North East companies and organisations match-funding for charging points remains open - effectively enabling them to buy and install charging points for half the standard cost (around £2,500 instead of around £5,000), plus connection costs. This programme has already been supported by dozens of partners from the public and private sector, who have in total pledged more than £1m for charging points to be installed at their premises.

Dr Herron added: “The Plugged-In Places project is progressing well but we are always looking for new partners and new ideas for charging point locations and we welcome any enquiries from businesses and organisations interested in joining the UK’s electric vehicle revolution.”

Anyone interested in hosting a fast-charger or accessing the match-funding for charging points should contact John Lowes or Josey Wardle in the One North East Plugged-In Places team on Tel: 0191 2296497 or 0191 2296693.