Electric vehicle charging points launched in four Shropshire towns
New electric vehicle charging points have been launched in four Shropshire towns as part of the Agile Streets Project.
The launch event took place in the Brownlow street car park, in Whitchurch, with Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council cabinet member lead on climate change, Whitchurch councillor Peggy Mullock and Connected Kerb brand ambassador Martin Offiah.
It comes as the council has been supporting the switch-on of 24 new on-street Connected Kerb electric vehicle chargers as part of the project funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Councillor Nellins said: “We have seen the growing interest in electric vehicle technology, as witnessed at our recent electric vehicle event in Shrewsbury.
“There is a great deal of interest from motorists in our county and we are delighted to be taking part in the Agile Streets project and opening up cost-effective charging opportunities to motorists who may not be able to access the best tariffs to charge their vehicles at home.
“Providing equal access to affordable electric vehicle charging across the country is a key part of our plan to become carbon net-neutral by 2030 and assist in the ambition for Shropshire as a whole to become carbon net-neutral in the same year.”
Shropshire is one of just four areas taking part in Agile Streets nationwide– the others are East Lothian, Glasgow and Hackney.
The project aims to offer electric vehicle drivers a flexible charging schedule, normally reserved for those with home charging.
It also demonstrates the use of a smart metering system as a new business model to manage public electric vehicle charging sustainably.
The project will run from December until May next year and once the trial is over, the 24 chargers will be handed over to Shropshire Council to provide on-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure for future use.
Their aim is to increase electric vehicle uptake ahead of the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles.
The smart chargers installed by Connected Kerb will be the first in the UK to integrate smart metering technology into public on-street chargers.
This cuts the cost of electric vehicle charging by as much as 40% for people who do not have driveways – equivalent to savings of up to £290 a year on a Renault Zoe; drivers simply download an app to charge as they go.
Martin Offiah said: "I am really pleased that Shropshire is participating in the UK’s first trial of public smart charging, Agile Streets, which will allow people to charge their vehicle when energy is cheapest; that is, when renewable energy such as sun or wind is in surplus, or at lowest demand, such as at night.
"Connected Kerb solutions are unique in so many ways. The charging points are more than just charging points but can support future technologies such as 5G, IoT and air quality sensors.
"In truth they are the first ‘street-USB’ that we will see in the future."
The Shropshire charging points can be found at:
Severn Street Car Park, Bridgnorth
Oak Street Car Park, Oswestry
Abbey Foregate Car Park, Shrewsbury
Brownlow Street, Whitchurch.
