A North Yorkshire town is hosting a major event next month promoting electric vehicles and green energy.

Everything Electric, dubbed as the world’s number one energy and electric vehicle show, is taking place at the Yorkshire Event Centre at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground during May 24-26.

The event features panels of experts debating whether electric charging at workplaces should be standard practice and whether you need a driveway to own an electric car.

North Yorkshire Council is supporting the event as it seeks to drive down carbon emissions.

READ MORE:

Assistant director for highways and transport, Barrie Mason, says people across the county are using electric vehicles more, a move helped by growing numbers of EV charging points, especially in Harrogate.

The unitary council believes rolling out charging points will convince residents there is a dependable and viable alternative to petrol and diesel.

North Yorkshire Council is moving away from using such vehicles and its presence at the show will highlight this.

A major part of the North Yorkshire Local Transport Plan (LTP), the council’s electric vehicle infrastructure rollout strategy, is a commitment to deliver EV infrastructure across England’s largest county.

To encourage greater use of electric cars in the Harrogate area, there are currently 133 electric vehicle charging units, 74 of which are in the town itself.

In 2023, there were almost 11,000 charging sessions recorded, with a further 3,520 up to the end of February. 

This means that 340,770 miles were travelled by electric vehicles which used these facilities last year, with a further 123,475 miles covered up to the end of last month. 

In total, this has saved more than 175 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

This is the second consecutive year that Everything Electric North will be held at the Yorkshire Event Centre, and its 15th exhibition around the world. 

The event’s chief executive, Dan Caesar, said: “The centre was a natural choice as a venue that offered a beautiful indoor and outdoor setting for our 'festival of electrification', suitability for a major test drive programme, and its central location to give access to the North, Midlands and Scotland. 

“The response last year was incredibly positive, and the upcoming show is expected to be bigger still. The venue and location received a huge thumbs-up from our audience.

“We display electric vehicles of all shapes and sizes from micro-mobility options like bikes and boards, up to trucks and tractors, but the centrepiece is an array of hundreds of electric cars and thousands of test drives.

“North Yorkshire has given us a huge welcome, and is for many of our audience and customers, the favourite of our shows across the globe.” 

See information on tickets and exhibiting for Everything Electric North.