October 20, 2026 - 211 views
A rally showcasing the latest electric vehicles, including electric lorries, will stop in Rhyl this Thursday as part of a two-day journey across Wales.
EV Rally Cymru will visit the West Kinmel Street charging hub between midday and 1.30pm on 22 October, with members of the public invited to see the vehicles and learn more about the technology.
The third annual rally begins in Cardiff on Wednesday before travelling north, with a final stop planned at Deeside. Organised by GreenFleet and supported by Transport for Wales, the event aims to demonstrate how electric vehicles can be used in everyday driving and how charging infrastructure is developing across the country.
This year's event puts a particular focus on electric heavy goods vehicles, with lorries joining cars and vans to demonstrate how the technology could be used by businesses and the haulage industry.
The organisers say the vehicles will travel on real roads and use charging facilities along the way, including in rural areas, to test the practicalities of electric motoring beyond major urban centres.
Rhyl's West Kinmel Street hub provides a useful example of the charging facilities available in North Wales. Funded by the Welsh Government, it has capacity for 36 vehicles and offers a combination of rapid 50kW chargers and slower 7kW units.
The slower chargers are intended to help people who do not have a driveway or private parking where they can charge a vehicle at home, while the rapid chargers provide a quicker top-up for drivers on the move. Three bays and charging units are specifically allocated for disabled users.
Denbighshire County Council says four electric vehicles from its own fleet will be at the hub to welcome the rally.
Councillor James Elson, the council's lead member for Environment and Transport, said the visit would showcase the facilities available in Rhyl and demonstrate how electric vehicles could contribute to cleaner transport.
He said the council had been working to reduce its environmental impact since declaring a climate and nature emergency in 2019, including moving its fleet towards greener alternatives where possible.
He added that convenient and reliable public charging was important if residents were to feel confident about switching to electric vehicles.
The transition still presents challenges, particularly for people who cannot charge at home, businesses considering the cost of changing their fleets and drivers travelling through rural areas where charging options may be more limited.
Transport for Wales has previously highlighted differences in the availability of chargers across the country, with more work needed to improve access to charging for people without off-street parking and in less densely populated communities.
The rally is intended to demonstrate what current vehicles and charging networks can achieve, while highlighting where further development is needed.
The public will be able to visit the rally vehicles while they are at West Kinmel Street. The general pay-and-display area of the car park will remain available to other users.
More information about the event is available at EV Rally Cymru.
