UK charging infrastructure specialist Connected Kerb is rolling out on-street chargers at an impressive pace. The company has installed 1,000 chargers so far this year, and expects to have 5,500 installed across the UK, with contracts secured for 30,000 more, by the end of 2022. By 2030, the company hopes to have 190,000 chargers installed.
EV ownership in the UK is skyrocketing—pure EV sales are up by 88 percent year-to-date compared to 2020, and one in four UK households say they intend to go electric within the next five years. However, some 62 percent of UK drivers don’t have access to off-street parking or a dedicated parking space, so more on-street public charging will be essential. According to Connected Kerb, there are currently only around 1,000 on-street chargers outside of London, and just one for every 52 EVs on UK roads.
Connected Kerb works with local councils (municipal governments) to get chargers installed quickly. The UK government finances 75 percent of the cost of installations through the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS). In many cases, Connected Kerb provides the remaining 25 percent, offering a zero-cost installation for local councils.
Connected Kerb recently announced a contract to install 10,000 chargers for the West Sussex Council by 2030. Most will be deployed on streets, in public car parks and at community facilities. The Kent County Council has chosen Connected Kerb to deploy at least 600 chargers by 2023, many of them in parish towns and rural areas. Other recently announced deployments will take place in Coventry (300 chargers), Cambridge (360), Plymouth (100), Milton Keynes (250), Warrington (30), Medway (30), and Glasgow.
“Knowing you can arrive at virtually any location, at any time, in any vehicle and cheaply charge your battery without inconvenience or faff is the reality we have to deliver to create an EV society,” said Connected Kerb CEO Chris Pateman-Jones. “Our rollout of public chargers—one of the most ambitious the UK has ever seen—encapsulates that future. With deals confirmed for 10,000 chargers this year alone, and 30,000 more expected next year, we are demonstrating that we’re getting on with the job and delivering the change that needs to happen.”
Source: Connected Kerb via Electric Drives
Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine
