Yorkshire National Parks add 18 new public EV chargers
Visitors to Yorkshire’s national parks will now find it easier to charge their EVs after 18 new chargers were installed at key locations.
The new devices have been fitted at visitor centres and museums within the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors parks as part of a partnership with car maker BMW. The Recharge in Nature programme is a three-year project that will see the BMW install charging points in all 15 of the UK’s national parks. The firm says it wants to simplify EV ownership for those visiting and working in the parks.
Twelve of the new chargepoints have been installed in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, at the Malham National Park Visitor Centre; the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes; and Grassington National Park Visitor Centre. Meanwhile in the North York Moors, six chargers can be found at Sutton Bank National Park Centre. An additional six chargers are set to be installed at Danby Lodge National Park Centre.
Neil Heseltine, chair of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, commented: “The Yorkshire Dales National Park alone welcomed 5.1 million visitors in 2022. We’re so pleased that our partnership with BMW UK will support those who are travelling to Yorkshire’s National Parks in EVs, to do so with more confidence. Part of our responsibility as National Parks is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of our parks and this includes facilitating more sustainable journeys to Yorkshire’s National Parks.”
An estimated 93 million visits to the UK’s national parks are made by car each year, and BMW says it wants to ensure the sites offer more options for those choosing to drive.
Graham Biggs, corporate communications director for BMW UK, said: “The UK’s EV infrastructure rollout is continuing at pace and we need to see this accelerate to reach at least 300,000 chargepoints by 2030. It’s important that the distribution of these chargers is spread right across the UK and we need to ensure that our countryside is brought up to speed with the bigger cities.
“Access to nature for everybody is so important and we’re pleased to be supporting the Recharge in Nature partnership to enable and encourage this through EV infrastructure, bus services and community engagement programmes.”
Alongside the installation of EV chargers, the Recharge in Nature partnership is also supporting community impact and nature restoration projects in each park. The North York Moors National Park is using BMW funding to support outdoor volunteering programmes for families and young adults to boost the physical and mental wellbeing of those volunteering and establish a community of committed conservationists.
