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ECN takes a look at the latest EV charger installation projects
from ECN October 2021
EV CHARGING ROUNDUP
ECN takes a look at the latest EV charger installation projects.
ABB
An advanced multi-site charging network in the UK will see ABB equipment charge thousands of electric vehicles, making EV charging more straightforward and accessible for drivers.
ABB chargers will support the new GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, which will include coverage for 85% of the UK’s motorway network, plus towns and cities across the country. This multi-millionpound investment will be supported by ABB’s Ultrafast DC 350 kW chargers at 50 of the new electric charging hubs, with each site having between six and 12 charging units. A further 300 Fast DC 60kW chargers will provide enhanced reliability to upgrade 150 existing sites that GRIDSERVE has acquired from Ecotricity.
More than 10 new electric hubs are planned to be in service before the end of 2021.
Shell
Shell has announced plans to have 50,000 on-street EV charge posts installed across the UK by the end of 2025, through ubitricity, part of the Shell group. The move is part of a wider effort to bring more EV charging availability to the millions of UK drivers without private parking and help local authorities get their charging networks up-and-running as quickly as possible.
Around 3,600 ubitricity chargers are already in place in the UK, using existing street infrastructure, such as lamp posts and bollards. In order to drive take-up to reach the 50,000 figure, Shell will support local authorities with a financing offer to install more ubitricity on-street chargers in towns and cities across the UK at potentially zero cost.
JustPark
Parking and charging platform, JustPark, and Octopus Energy Group have launched the UK’s first fleet-focused community charging solution – FleetCharge. The new charging solution will help businesses overcome charging inequality, enabling them to accelerate their transition to electric vehicles.
Working with fleet operators, JustPark will find convenient off-street charging locations for their drivers who are unable to have an electric vehicle charger installed at home. Chargers will be located at one of JustPark’s 50,000 parking locations or at a new site within a five-minute walk of a given driver’s home.
FleetCharge gives drivers guaranteed access to their dedicated chargers, effectively creating private chargers and a private network for each fleet operating customer. Chargers will be located at a mix of domestic, business and parking facilities, and will always be available for the designated user.
Octopus Energy Services will install and manage FleetCharge’s charging units and drivers will have access to 100% renewable electricity from Octopus Energy and Octopus Energy’s EV roaming service, the Electric Juice Network.
Motor Fuel Group
Independent forecourt operator, Motor Fuel Group (MFG), has opened the very first EV-only forecourt and valeting centre dedicated solely to ultra-rapid chargers in the North-West of England at its Stretford branch on the Chester Road, Manchester.
It is Greater Manchester’s first dedicated Ultra Rapid Charging forecourt, strategically placed on the A56, and has eight dedicated ultra-rapid 150kW EV charging bays which can give 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes of charging.
MFG is investing in the new future of forecourts, committing around £40m in 2021 alone to EV charging hubs, as well as undertaking a £50m investment to improve its retail, food to go, and valeting offer to the consumer this year. This investment will continue in the years ahead across its UK wide network.
Connected Kerb
The London Borough of Lambeth is working with EV charging specialist, Connected Kerb, in a first-of-its-kind project to demonstrate how affordable and accessible public EV charging infrastructure can be deployed to tackle EV inequality and drive greater EV adoption amongst communities traditionally under-represented in the EV transition.
Approximately a third of residents in Lambeth live on estates managed by the council and the majority of housing in the borough does not have off-street parking. This means that a large proportion of drivers will have to rely on public EV charging infrastructure. This project will act as a blueprint that can be adopted at scale by other boroughs, councils and cities across Britain to deliver an inclusive and equitable EV transition, serving all members of society.
The project in Lambeth includes 22 on-street EV chargers across 11 council estates in the borough to provide easy access to public charging, even for those without off-street parking.
Each of Connected Kerb’s chargers will provide a 7kW fast charge, perfect for habitual on-street charging where residents are parked for a predictable amount of time each day. Every charge point will feature contactless payment via the Connected Kerb app, with a consistent network and tariff across the sites, enabling fair and equal access for everyone.
ABB, global.abb Shell, shell.co.uk JustPark, justpark.com Motor Fuel Group, motorfuelgroup.com Connected Kerb, connectedkerb.com
