New business Evergreen Charging Ltd helps Leighton-Linslade prepare for eco friendly-future

Joe Simmons and James Keffe launched Evergreen Charging Ltd during the autumn, supplying and fitting charging units for domestic homes and businesses.

In November, the Government announced that new cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel would not be sold in the UK from 2030, and Joe and James aim to ensure that Leighton-Linslade is prepared.

Joe, an electrician who has previously worked on major infrastructure projects in London, said: “A friend of mine came up to me in Leighton Buzzard and said: ‘I’ve got an electric car and it needs a charger’ - but I didn’t have the qualification to do it.

“I didn’t want to let him down so I got trained. Then I thought, why not give it a go? 
It’s taken off quite well. The amount of EV cars being sold is rocketing and set to increase dramatically in the next few years.”

The duo feel there is a lack of chargers in the town, and they are offering all Leighton residents 10 per cent off installation costs on top of the Government-funded Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) grant of up to £350.

Joe added: “The environmental benefits of us all going electric are massive - air pollution kills 300 a day in the UK.

“There are also financial benefits; for example, a typical electric vehicle costs only 2-5p per mile to run, saving a typical driver up to £1,000 a year compared to petrol/diesel costing 15p a mile. A really big bonus is no company car tax, too, saving thousands.”

Joe and James would like to thank the community for its support, and, keeping things local, discussed their business plans in the Clay Pipe, Meadway.

James, who studied geography at Brunel University, focussing on environmental issues, said: “We have been friends for a long time and we saw a demand. We bounce off each other well!

“When the firm gets a certain surge we’d love to give back to Leighton Buzzard by taking on apprentices.”