Milton Keynes Council will begin the installation in the free parking bays around the Food Hall in the Theatre District and at Milton Keynes Central railway station.
The charging points will be the first of 25 in the city centre by the end of next year.
The programme is part of the £2.3 million Plugged in Places pilot scheme, part funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.
Milton Keynes received grant funding from government and, depending on the project’s success, may receive additional funding in future years to install further charge points throughout the city. The South East England Development Agency has also awarded a £500,000 grant towards the development of the city’s low-carbon strategy.
Ownership of electric vehicles is expected to grow over the next few years. Milton Keynes plans to have 1,000 electric vehicles on its roads by 2014 and 250 charging points.
Milton Keynes Council signed an agreement earlier this year with the Renault-Nissan Alliance that will guarantee priority delivery for electric vehicle orders from Milton Keynes.
Those who opt for an electric vehicle will receive a 25 per cent discount on the price of their vehicle up to £5,000 under a government incentive scheme. The Plugged- in Places scheme will They will also receive free electricity, said a council spokesman.
The Plugged in Places scheme will also subsidise the purchase of a home charging unit and will subsidise up to £1,500 any business that installs charge points on its premises.
Each designated parking bay will contain a double charging point, allowing two vehicles to charge at the same time. Parking will be free in those bays to electric vehicles, regardless of whether they are charging. Other vehicles types can use the bays between 10am and 4pm but will have to pay.
