York is set to become the first city in the UK to install a network of pay-as-you-go charging points for electric vehicles.

In addition to the 12 charging points already located across York, a network of fast charging points will be installed over the coming months in city centre car parks and Park & Ride sites.

Users will be able to pay by phone/text in a similar way to paying for parking in council-owned car parks.

By registering debit/credit card details, payments can instantly be made to pay for the charge time.

Users can also track all their energy usage remotely and see live availability of charge points from their mobile phones.

The charging facilities, being rolled out at the York Designer Outlet, supermarkets and hotels can add a 30-mile range to a vehicle’s battery within half an hour of use.

The charging point cables are secured behind a locking flap which guards against cable theft when charging and are operated by an internal GSM transmitter.

To encourage the use of electric vehicles across the city, the City of York Council  is holding an event, giving people the chance to get hands-on with the latest electric vehicles and find out more about the technology.

The ‘Switched On’ event will take place at the south entrance of York Designer Outlet on Wednesday April 10 from 10.30pm to 4pm and will feature electric supercar the Tesla Roadster as well as electric cars from Nissan, Toyota and Mia. The new Renault Zoe will also make its UK public debut.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service, the first in the country to trial electric ambulances, will be displaying one of its vehicles.

Councillor Dave Merrett, City of York Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Planning and Sustainability, said: “York is really leading the way in embracing electric vehicles, so we are excited to be holding an event to celebrate the technology and share it with the public.

“Decarbonising transport is crucial to meeting the UK’s climate change CO2 reduction target. Electric cars only cost about two pence per mile to run and create no harmful emissions, so by bringing charging points to the city we are giving the people of York the potential to save money and travel more sustainably.”