The first of 88 electric vehicle rapid-charging points has been installed in West Yorkshire.

The new facility went live in Bradford as part of the £3 million-plus scheme to help improve the county's air quality.

Each of the new sites, which are free to use until the end of October 2021, will have two bays. One will be exclusively for taxis and private hire vehicles and the second is for all other users. The rapid chargepoints can typically take under an hour to provide a full vehicle charge depending on your vehicle.

Nicola Lovett, CEO of ENGIE UK and Ireland said: "These chargepoints will play a key role in tackling air pollution and creating a greener, cleaner place for people who live and work in West Yorkshire.

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"At ENGIE we work hard to improve the lives of people in cities and urban areas and we are delighted to launch this electric vehicle charging network in the region.

"Providing green mobility solutions is just one part of a wider strategy where we support local authorities and the public in helping shape their environment as we move towards a net-zero carbon world.

"There has been a real improvement in carbon reduction where we've implemented green initiatives in other cities and we are looking forward to seeing the West Yorkshire region benefit from this fantastic scheme."

New locations will be added every week in West Yorkshire until the network is completed later this year.

The scheme is a collaboration between West Yorkshire Combined Authority and its partner local authorities - Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield councils. Following its successful bid for £2 million funding from the Government's Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), West Yorkshire Combined Authority appointed Leeds-based ENGIE to install, own and operate the new charging points.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the partnering local authorities are also providing a further £1.2 million of match funding for the scheme.

(CM/MH)