Rhyl to open Wales' biggest electric car charging site

One of the UK's biggest electric vehicle charging sites is set to open in a Welsh seaside resort.

It will provide 36 charging points at the West Kinmel Street Car Park, in Rhyl, near the town's railway station.

Denbighshire council said it was due to open next month, making it the biggest in Wales.

One councillor said he hoped it would encourage more visitors to the area and provide charging points for residents.

"This charging hub will also support our important climate change work and be of clear benefit to nearby households who don't have the capability for off-road charging facilities," said Barry Mellor, lead member for environment and transport.

"We also hope this hub will help encourage more visitors to come to Rhyl on the knowledge they have this facility to charge their vehicles and also be an asset to commuters arriving at the town to use the nearby train station by enabling them to park and charge."

An energy "superhub" with 42 charging points opened in Oxfordshire in July.

Meanwhile, Gari Wyn, who runs car dealership Ceir Cymru at Bethel, near Caernarfon, Gwynedd, has called for more research into hydrogen vehicles, saying some electric vehicles can can cost £6,000 more than diesel or unleaded fuel equivalents.

"How can the ordinary man in north Wales, especially in rural areas, justify that amount, even if he paid four or five thousand pounds for solar panels on his roof and all the rigmarole that goes with it in the driveway?

"The only way forward is to have more research into the possibility of hydrogen cars."

In Rhyl, Mr Wynne said the plan was to be able to offer cheaper electricity with the electric charging car park becoming self-sufficient, generating power using solar energy for the charging points.

"By doing that, Denbighshire [council] will be able to control its own prices rather than have to plug in to the National Grid," he said.