Fifty county councils’ on-street electric vehicle charge point prices are going up to cover the cost of energy and maintenance.

Hampshire County Council has approved an increase in the tariff for users of on-street electric vehicle charge points (EVCPs) from 42p/kWh, set in August 2023, to 54p/kWh.

According to the administration, this decision will ensure that the service continues to operate on a full-cost recovery basis, thereby avoiding the need to draw on the limited financial resources available for essential highway maintenance.

The increase will cover the cost of energy, annual unmetered Meter Administration, annual back-office system and operation and maintenance, contractor management costs, and VAT.

Currently, there are 29 EVCPs in Eastleigh and 21 EVCPs in Winchester, connected via street lighting columns and bollards to the unmetered street lighting electrical low-voltage network.

In 2024/25, the total annual energy consumption was 52,082.353 kWh, resulting in an average monthly energy consumption per EVCP of 121.97 kWh, with a 72 per cent utilisation of the on-street EVCP estate.

The annual total costs for the charge point back-office system, operation and maintenance, and the unmetered Meter Administration cost were £17,645.72.

With the increase, the council estimates a total forecast revenue of £28,124.47, which represents a surplus of £9,374.82.

They added that the increase is 1p/kWh higher than the national average.

The decision report said: “A tariff of £0.54p/kWh is considered an appropriate balance between the full costs of operating chargepoints and the tariff at more convenient, faster charging options, while covering the full cost of energy.”