Electric Vehicle Charging Points in Hartlepool: A Pointless & 'Expensive' Plug Into the Net Zero Fantasy...

Some of the recently installed charging points in Hartlepool that nobody is using because drivers claim they're 'too slow'

Chargers installed across Hartlepool as part of the Tees Valley Combined Authorities aim to go 'NetZero' by 2050 branded 'a farce', after claims the chargers are rarely used & so slow & expensive, it would take 'hours' just to charge your EV to a reasonable level of use.

20th May 2025

As part of the Tees Valley Combined Authority’s much-hyped “Net Zero by 2050” project, electric vehicle (EV) charging points have been rolled out across Hartlepool in what can only be described as a performative, box-ticking exercise masquerading as progress.

Instead of delivering meaningful infrastructure for local drivers, its claimed the reality is a network of overpriced, underused, and utterly impractical charging stations that offer more frustration than function.

Despite the PR spin, its claimed the facts speak for themselves: the EV chargers installed in locations such as Middleton Grange Shopping Centre and Hartlepool Railway Station are said to be being hardly ever used. Why? Because the infrastructure is a joke.

Tortoise Charging Speeds

The chargers are so 'slow' drivers claim they're practically unusable...

Some of these so-called “public charging points” can take up to eight hours to charge a vehicle — a pace so slow it would be quicker to boil the ocean. In a world where other providers offer rapid charging solutions (20% to 80% in under an hour), The Chargers said to have been installed as part of the TVCA's inititive are said ot be 'stuck in the technological dark ages', with one driver telling us "You might as well bring a deckchair and a picnic — you’ll be here a while".

Hidden Costs and Poor Value

An example of the twin chargers similar to those installed in Hartlepool, where its claimed they only operate at a maximum of 7-11 kwh

On top of the sluggish charge times, there’s the extortionate pricing to get your head around. Add in the fact that most of these chargers are located in council-owned car parks, and you’ve got a double-whammy: users are being charged both for the energy used and the privilege of parking. It’s no wonder local drivers are steering well clear.

Patchy, Inconsistent and Already Outdated

Implemented by a mishmash of different providers, the current networks said to lack any form of consistency or cohesion. Some stations simply don’t work. Others are incompatible with certain EV models. There’s no joined-up thinking — just a scattergun approach designed more to win political brownie points than actually support motorists.

More Chargers, But Still No Incentive

The Tees Valley Combined Authority is reportedly said to be eyeing up an additional £6.5 million to install even more chargers across the region, targeting residents without driveways or garages. But why would anyone invest in an electric vehicle when its claimed the current charging network is so unreliable and impractical? The TVCA seems to believe that simply building more charging stations — regardless of quality or utility — will magically convert the population to electric cars, the reality is however that many drivers outright refuse to take the plunge, fearing the financial consequences of it being simply 'too expensive' to run & in the current climate, They're Right !

We charged our vehicle up on the public charging network, the costs were staggering !

Durham & Teesside Today operates one electric vehicle purchased a year ago & whilst on a domestic charging supply the vehicle running costs are substantially cheaper than that of an internal combustion car, hook it up to the public charging network & the costs simply go through the roof.

That's because the only CCS (Fast) charger the vehicle can accept is BLINK's charging facility at Jackson Dock in Hartlepool near to the National Museum of the Royal Navy, costing us around 0.50p Per Kilowatt Hour, that means our car from 30% charge to 100% costs around £27 pounds, giving us a range of around 327 miles. The equivalent of charging it up back at base would be just £7 pounds. A staggering difference in price, & a move that's always going to make the move to EV one that drivers would shun in a heartbeat.

The Net Zero Mirage

This is the same tired narrative we see up and down the country: councils chasing government cash under the “Net Zero” banner, ticking off targets while ignoring the actual needs of residents. What good is a charging point that barely works, costs a fortune to use, and requires hours of waiting? The Hartlepool installations are not a step forward — they’re a step sideways into bureaucratic waste.

 A Green Gimmick, & Not a Green Future

The electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Hartlepool, funded by public money, is nothing short of the biggest white elephant & the most horrendous waste of money Teessides ever seen. Rather than encouraging a transition to cleaner transport, it highlights the failure of regional authorities to deliver practical, efficient solutions. As it stands, the Net Zero project is little more than a costly gimmick that benefits no one — least of all the drivers it claims to support & is simply a wastefull charade that makes Vanity Projects like Hartlepool Borough Councils shades building purchase look like a rop in the ocean...