THREE electric vehicle chargepoints have been installed in Worcestershire by the county council as part of a government-funded initiative to encourage more people to switch to using the more environmentally friendly motors.

The chargepoints at County Hall in Worcester, Webbs garden centre at Wychbold and Evesham Leisure Centre were recently switched on.

Over the coming months the plan is to install a further nine chargepoints at the Crowngate shopping centre and St Martin's Gate car park in Worcester, Evesham Country Park, Chateau Impney hotel in Droitwich, Greenlands Business Centre and Abbey Stadium in Redditch, and at the Weaver's Wharf retail park in Kidderminster.

They will charge a wide range of electric vehicles and the cost is £5.50 for 45 minutes, which should be enough to power up the vast majority of vehicles. However as they are rapid chargepoints most cars should charge up in 20-30 minutes.

All the chargepoints being installed by Chargemaster on behalf of the county council are available for 'pay as you go' use through the Charge Your Car network. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles has provided 75 per cent of the funding with the remaining 25 per cent coming from Chargemaster.

Electric vehicle drivers can pay for charging through a variety of routes, via a Charge Your Car RFID card, by phoning Charge Your Car on 0191 260 5625, or through the Charge Your Car app, which will be fully functional shortly. The status of each chargepoint (whether it's in use or idle) can be viewed through the Charge Your Car app or website.

Chargepoints are available for members of the public to use, as well as businesses.

Ruth Corrall, sustainable communities project manager for the county council, said: "Electric vehicles are now a viable solution for many people, with an increasing number of cars available on the market from leading manufacturers. Electric vehicles are a great choice for people who want to reduce their impact on air pollution, reduce their CO2 emissions, and save money."

County council cabinet member for the environment, Councillor Anthony Blagg, said: "Electric vehicles cause less pollution and as well as being kinder to the environment are more economical to run.

"Through this project the county council is doing its bit to encourage the owners of these vehicles to come into the county by providing them with facilities for charging. At the same time, by installing more chargepoints we are helping to boost the national network and hopefully motorists will become more confident about owning an electric vehicle."

The Government currently has grants available to help with the purchase of an electric vehicle, available for residents and businesses. This Plug In grant can provide up to £5,000 off the purchase price.

The Government also has grants for 75 per cent of the costs of a domestic home chargepoint.