To support more people to make the switch to cleaner, electric vehicles (EVs), and to help reduce air pollution in Sheffield, the Council, working with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), is installing 48 brand-new electric vehicle chargers to Sheffield.
Changes to EV charging tariffs
Due to the rising cost of energy across the UK, from Saturday 1 April 2023, a new tariff for Sheffield City Council owned rapid EV charging points will be introduced, to make EV charging points across Sheffield more sustainable for the Council.
Since March 2021, the cost for using a rapid EV charging point in Sheffield has remained at 30p/kWh, amid energy prices rising significantly, with the Council absorbing much of the costs to run the charging points.
The new tariff means that the current price of 30p per kWh, will increase to 72p per kWh. This change will bring the Council in line with the national average price as seen with other providers for rapid EV charging points.
In addition to the tariff changes, the charge for overstaying the one hour free parking time limit will rise from £10 to £20 (including VAT) to encourage drivers to free up the space for the next driver to come along.
The Council owns 20 rapid charging points which fit a range of electric cars, vans and taxis, they are located in council car parks and on-street parking across the city, including 4 sites within the city centre. Each 50kW charger can charge most electric vehicles models on the market to 80 per cent within one hour.
Cllr Mazher Iqbal, Co-Chair of Transport, Regeneration & Climate Committee, said:
“We’re proud to be supporting local people to make the transition to electric vehicles through our ever-growing EV charging infrastructure – which is one the of best things we can do to reduce harmful pollution from transport, making the air we all breathe cleaner and improving the health of local people.
“We know the rise in the charging point tariff may have a financial impact on some, and we’ve done our absolute best to sustain this low price for as long as possible. The Council has absorbed much of the cost for keeping the tariffs low, however, with energy prices increasing, this simply isn’t sustainable moving forward.
“We’re also investing in making the existing network more resilient and will soon launch a further two rapid charging points and 46 fast charging points, to make it even easier for electric vehicle owners to access a charging point locally.”
RAW Charging, said:
“Working in partnership with Sheffield Council, we have ensured the cost to charge has remained as low as possible for EV drivers, however, due to rising energy costs we have no option but to raise the price to charge accordingly. This means that, from Saturday 1 April, the price to charge across the LiFe Network in Sheffield City Centre will increase from 30p per kWh to 72p per kWh, the current overstay charge will also increase from £10 after one hour, to £20.”
Locations effected by the price change are:
- Edward Street Car Park, S361FU
- Blyde Road Car Park, S5 7AF
- Zion Lane Car Park, S9 3YH
- Prince of Wales Road Car Park, S9 4QB
- Parkers Lane Car Park, S10 2SR
- Carver Lane Car Park, S1 4FT
- Eldon Street Car Park, S1 4GB
- Pond Hill Car Park, S1 2GB
- Howard Lane Car Park, S1 2FT
- Clarence Lane Car Park, S2 4LN
- Hale Street Car Park, S8 0YE
The fast-charging points will be introduced with a tariff at 58p / kWh with an average charge time of four to six hours to fully charge a 40kw battery.
Elected members approved the decision to implement changes to tariff on EV charging points Wednesday 15 February 2023, these changes bring the pricing structure in line with the national average EV charging tariffs.
