East Lothian Council received the Public Transport Authority of the Year - Special Recognition Award at the EVIEs 2021

East Lothian Council received the Public Transport Authority of the Year - Special Recognition Award at the EVIEs 2021 (Electric Vehicle Innovation and Excellence Awards) at a ceremony held in Bristol recently.

The EVIEs were hosted on the first evening of the EV World Congress and are designed to spotlight innovation and excellence in electric vehicles and charging technology. The awards recognise ‘in one of the world’s most hotly anticipated changes to the way we live, work and travel - innovation and collaboration will be essential to make our roads smarter and safer, and our air cleaner.’

The judging panel noted the extensive work carried out by East Lothian Council to install a comprehensive network of on-street chargers close to where they are needed, in addition to prominent 50kW Journey charging sites in all major town centres.

Special recognition was made of East Lothian’s partnership working with external organisations on projects as diverse as co-locating on-street electric bike hire with car charging stations, and ‘Agile Streets’ bringing flexible electricity tariffs to people without a safe place to charge at home. The strategic charging hub at Wallyford Park and Ride was also mentioned. This is capable of charging small buses and vehicles with trailers at up to 150kW, alongside 32 Destination chargers to encourage people to leave their cars while they hop on a train or bus into the city.

Environment spokesperson, Cllr Norman Hampshire, said: “The need for positive action to tackle Climate Change and contribute towards reducing our carbon footprints has never been more important. East Lothian Council has been successful in securing external funding to expand the EV charging infrastructure across the county providing both residents and visitors with opportunities to use electric vehicles as readily as petrol or diesel engine vehicles.

“The Special Recognition Award presented to the council recognises the continued work of East Lothian Council as an innovator in this field and one of the UK’s leading local authorities in EV infrastructure. I would like to add my personal thanks to the officers who have led and continue to lead in this sector.”

Published: Tuesday, 2nd November 2021