Plug In Suffolk FAQs

The first phase of the Plug In Suffolk Project has now closed and we have begun the new, LEVI funded Phase 2.  We are currently accepting new Expressions of Interest from across the County.

Phase 1 of the project was oversubscribed so if you previously applied and did not receive a charge point, please resubmit your application and it will be considered for Phase 2.

Click here to download an Expression of Interest form. 

Click on the questions below to view the answers.

In order to apply for the project you must be a community organisation, this can be a Village Hall Committee, Parish Council, Local Charity, Community Centre or any other community interest organisation. The organisation must have ownership of a car park or provide evidence of permission from the landowner for the charge point to be installed. The car park must be accessible 24 hours and have a power supply nearby, most buildings have the required spare capacity to accommodate a 7kw charge point.

Plug in Suffolk will fund the install of the EV charge point and the maintenance and back office software in combination with the Charge Point Operator (CPO). This will be funded for a minimum of 7 years. The CPO will manage the day to day running of the charge point and provide a revenue share to the site holder. 

With an increasing requirement for electric car charging infrastructure, many smaller communities would like chargers in their locality but do not have the initial outlay available to purchase and install the equipment.

The person using the charger pays for the electricity.

As the sockets are ‘Standard’ 7.4KW Type 2 mounted in either a two or four socket configuration, most power supply issues should be avoided. The suitability of the electricity supply would be clarified at the point of initial survey. That being said, it would be helpful if the practicality could be taken into account when considering a particular location. Perhaps the chargers could be on the wall of the building supplying the power or as near to the power supply you mention as feasible which would help to ensure as short a cable buried as possible.

Once the equipment is up and running it is owned by the charge point operator. It will be their responsibility to maintain the equipment and ensure the charge point is working as well as to fund any updates or upgrades it may require. 

For any further queries please contact Katy Hampshire, Environment Strategy Project Manager at Suffolk County Council via Email at katy.hampshire@suffolk.gov.uk.