New EV charging points to be installed throughout West Berkshire, including six in Thatcham

West Berkshire Council will be installing 11 new on-street residential electric vehicle charging points throughout the district.

And six are going in Thatcham at Masefield Road, Meadow Close, Urquhart Road and Wheeler’s Green Way.

The rest will be installed in Church Street and High Street (Theale), Gaywood Drive (Newbury) and The Haven (Hungerford).

Justin Pemberton (Lib Dem, Thatcham West) expressed concern that none of the charging points were located in Thatcham West at a meeting of Thatcham Town Council’s Planning and Highways Committee on Tuesday, February 11.

The council agreed to seek further clarification from WBC on charging costs, times and any future works.

Explaining how these sites were chosen, WBC told newburytoday: “Local councillors and residents have requested additional on-street charging facilities within Thatcham.

“These areas were chosen so that residents with no off-street parking and charging facilities can charge their EVs overnight at a cheaper rate than the rapid charge points found at service stations and supermarkets.”

It also told newburytoday that charging vehicles will cost users 49p per kWh between 7pm and 4pm and 85p per kWh between 4pm and 7pm, based on Ubitricity tariffs.

The maximum charging current available at each charge point is shown on the Shell Recharge mobile website before users start the PAYG charging process, or in the E-Mobility app.

Charging times will depend on the battery capacity of the vehicle, the power output of the charge point and the rating of the charging cable.

Generally, users can calculate the charging time by dividing the vehicle battery capacity by the power output of the charge point – which depends on the charge point or the charging cable.

For example, dividing 45kWh (battery capacity) by 5kW produces a charging time of roughly 9 hours, if a 32 ampere charging cable were used.

Typically, the charge points will have a power output of 5kW. Using a cable with lower ampere would limit the power output, meaning a longer charging time.

“This type of charging facility is ideal in residential areas where the car will be parked overnight,” said a spokesperson.

But Thatcham councillors also queried how these charging points will be restricted to ensure EV use only.

At present, they won’t be. But WBC said it may issue a Traffic Regulation Order once the charging points are installed, following public consultation.

In 2023, WBC partnered with Ubitricity to install and manage up to 250 additional on-street charge points in West Berkshire over the next four years.