Surrey drivers buy most electric cars in South East

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More electric cars in Surrey than anywhere else in the South East

A Surrey boom in people buying and making electric cars is set to fuel a groundbreaking partnership to boost the county’s economy and help the environment.

Electric car ownership in Surrey has quadrupled in just two years to over 180 – the highest in the South East – and a summit on Tuesday will brainstorm how to boost these figures further.

The Electric Vehicle Summit will welcome Transport Minister Baroness Kramer as key speaker, as well as policy makers and Surrey-based companies who are at the industry’s cutting edge, such as Brooklands-based Mercedes-Benz and Woking-based McLaren.

Led by Surrey County Council and the University of Surrey, the summit is designed to kickstart extra growth in electric vehicles through encouraging more private sector investment and joint working between industry, academics and government.

The county council’s longer-term proposals include a network of publicly-available charge points offering free charging for the first year, working with colleges and universities to develop skills training for budding engineers, and supporting greater investment and research in Surrey.

From next year Surrey drivers will already be able to use the county’s first 15 publicly-available electric car charging points in places such as Egham and Guildford following Government funding.

The county council has a target of getting 10,500 electric cars in Surrey by 2021.

Peter Martin, Deputy Leader of Surrey County Council, said: “It’s great that drivers and businesses in our county are fuelling demand for electric cars – that’s why we’ve gathered big names to the EV Summit so this innovative industry continues to boost our economy and the environment.”