Isle of Wight EV charge point network comes under fire

That is the question motorists are asking after a cover was put over one in central Newport leaving very few available. 

However, the Isle of Wight Council says it is rolling out new charge points by the week with the latest being in Quay Street, Newport.

According to ZapMap, an app which shows the site of charge points around the country, there are only four 50kw-plus sites on the Island, with the one at Morrison's, Lake, currently out of use. 

Zap Map's image of Isle of Wight charge points. (Image: Newsquest)

The one at Chapel Street car park in Newport, which raised eyebrows when it was hacked by a porn site earlier this year, is not shown and last week was covered up with evidence of works going on nearby.

Tam Norris contacted Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely and the County Press, saying the Island was far behind the mainland in rolling out charge points, particularly pointing to the GeniePoint one in Chapel Street car park.

Read more: Council pledges to increase EV charge point network

Tam said: "The EV charging on the Isle of Wight is the worst I’ve seen in the UK, it’s god awful.

"You should check out the equivalent in Portsmouth where the council have made a massive effort to enable good charging.

Bob Seely MP said: “If we are to encourage greater use of green transport then we really do need to have the charging infrastructure to support that. Islanders expect it, and so do our visitors.

“I am pleased that the council is increasing the number and capability of charging points to supplement those also provided by the private sector. I look forward to seeing these new charging points coming on stream in the coming months.

"I am also very happy to support the council in exploring any assistance Government could give to help ensure the continued improvement of the green Island’s infrastructure.”

And an Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said it was expanding its EV charging offering with Joju and Mer Charging, to support those without access to off-street parking.

It said Quay Street in Newport was one of the newest on-street chargers active.

The active chargers are proving popular with Island residents with 441 charging sessions to date, over 7,200 kilowatt hours of electricity drawn and 598 kilograms of Co2 saved. All the chargepoints are powered by green electricity.

Cllr Phil Jordan, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Highways and Transport said "I am delighted and encouraged that the first seven on-street electric vehicle charge points are now available for residents to use, and we look forward to increasing this number over the next few weeks.

"We have been receiving a growing number of requests from both residents and visitors for public charging facilities and through our partnership with Joju/ Mer we are planning and working towards meeting the demand as fast as we are able.”

"On-street charger locations have been chosen to meet local resident demand and will help the EV transition for residents who cannot benefit from home charging.

"One parking bay at each site is reserved exclusively for electric vehicles that need to recharge."

Integral to the roll out of the chargepoints is Island Roads, which have been a longstanding partner in the project and have ensured the safe installation of the on-street chargepoints.

Mer are fully funding the installation of seven new rapid chargers and 16 dual fast chargers in public car parks across the Island.

This follows the decision by Cabinet in January 2022 to meet the growing demand from electric vehicle drivers, including visitors. This will increase the number of car parks with operational EV chargepoints to 13.

It is anticipated that the first of these new off-street installations will be completed by the end of December 2022.

The council acknowledged not all charge points are in working order at the moment but said it was working with contractors to get them running as soon as possible.