North East cities to get electric car charging stations after receiving £1.5 million grant

Design of the new electric car charging stations. Credit: The North East Combined Authority

Electric car charging stations will soon appear on roadsides in Sunderland and Newcastle after The North East Combined Authority (NECA) was awarded £1.5 million pounds from the government’s 'Go Ultra Low' fund.

Each filling station will have 6-8 rapid chargers which top up electric vehicles in 15-20 minutes - rather than the eight hours it takes for a standard charger. There will also be a cafe where drivers can wait for their cars to charge.

The NECA made a bid to the Government's £40 million pound 'Go Ultra Low' scheme in October last year.

The scheme is designed to reward cities which have designed schemes to encourage people to consider switching to a plug-in car.