Image courtesy of Connected Kerb

Connected Kerb & Surrey County Council Aim For 10,000 Public EV Charging Points By 2030

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

One of the biggest obstacles to EV adoption is the need for home EV charging. The ability to charge electric vehicles at home is necessary in order for drivers to have the needed range every day without inconvenience, but many homes do not have the infrastructure in place to support this. In the case of apartments and single-family homes without driveways, there’s just no way to get home charging at all. This leaves people depending on public chargers for a charge every few days, making it far less convenient than a gas car.

While transit fanatics will tell us that people should just not own a car, that’s just not realistic in many places that have long depended on cars for transportation. That’s something to work on, but it can’t happen fast enough. So, we need to explore alternatives.

One good alternative is public charging along residential streets, or as one organization calls it, “Connected Kerbs.” By putting public stations in as many other places as possible (like workplaces and stores), too, the need for home charging can be alleviated or solved entirely.

That’s why it’s great news that Connected Kerb and Surrey County Council have joined forces to deliver the 10,000 electric vehicle (EV) charge points needed across Surrey by 2030. This ambitious rollout of charge points at over 1,500 locations is the largest deployment of EV chargers by a UK local authority and will make it easier for residents to take advantage of the many benefits offered by electric vehicles.

The installation of these charge points in streets and public car parks represents a major step forward in accelerating EV uptake in Surrey, paving the way for an environmentally friendly transformation that will reduce air pollution levels and enable more people to switch to greener forms of transport.

This ambitious rollout is set to deliver more than 5,000 fast charging points by 2027, including over 500 rapid charging points, resulting in an increase from one charger per 9,000 residents in Surrey to an estimated one charger per 2,500 residents.

Chip in a few dollars a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to accelerate the cleantech revolution!

“If one local authority can deliver such a significant boost to the UK’s charging network, just imagine what we could achieve by 2030 if every city, county, and combined authority was empowered to do the same. The recent Net Zero Review was clear – local authorities can become the driving force behind the rollout of charging infrastructure across the country, and our partnership with Surrey County Council is case and point,” said Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb. “If local authorities are the door to a clean transport future, then charging networks like Connected Kerb are the key, providing the tools and expertise needed to unlock the transition at the pace and scale required to reach net zero. Although the Government’s estimate of 300,000 chargers by 2030 may feel ambitious, it’s eminently possible – and necessary – to achieve; this deal proves it.”

The recently published Net Zero Review by Rt Hon Chris Skidmore MP highlighted the importance of local authorities taking a leading role in rolling out charging infrastructure. The partnership between Surrey County Council and Connected Kerb demonstrates the commitment to meeting these ambitions, as well as keeping up with the growing demand and adoption of electric vehicles — up 40% in 2022 compared to 2021.

“Today’s announcement marks another step in the growth of our public chargepoint network, enabling more and more motorists to make the switch to electric vehicles,” said MP Skidmore. “The UK is seeing hundreds of millions of pounds of private investment in EV charging across the country, with valuable support from the Government, and it’s great to see innovative British companies like Connected Kerb working with local authorities to deliver ambitious projects such as this one.”

This groundbreaking initiative will take charge points to over 1,500 locations across Surrey, making it easier for residents to switch to greener forms of transport while enjoying all the benefits that electric vehicles have to offer. This rollout is expected to drive a cleaner and more sustainable future for the county, paving the way for an environmentally friendly transformation that will reduce air pollution levels and benefit everyone in Surrey.

The partnership between Connected Kerb and Surrey County Council will see a rapid rollout of on-street chargepoints across the county, with plans to install hundreds of chargepoints within the first year. In recognition of the need to make EV adoption a practical reality for the 2.35 million blue badge holders on UK roads, this ambitious undertaking sets an additional target to make one in five of the EV charging bays accessible to drivers with disabilities.

Inclusivity and accessibility have been at the heart of the Net Zero Review and Connected Kerb’s annual report, with a goal of ensuring equal access to reliable charging in both urban and rural areas. This commitment to accessible and reliable charging network has delivered remarkable results — in 2022, the company achieved a 99.1% uptime for its charging network.

Connected Kerb’s product range is set to be rolled out across Surrey, consisting of 7kW and 22kW Gecko chargers, Chameleon chargers for on-street and car parks, and the wall-mounted Limpet and Scarab throughout housing developments. The Chameleon charger has been designed with accessibility needs in mind.

In addition to EV charging points, the contract includes Connected Kerb’s social value projects. These initiatives will see them providing industry support to pupils interested in learning about electric vehicle chargepoints, employability support for vulnerable young people and backing a number of charities in the county. All this stands to deliver significant value to Surrey residents.

This announcement is significant for Surrey residents as it shows how Connected Kerb’s product range and social value projects will play a role in enhancing their day-to-day lives. The EV charge points on its own would be a great benefit to many, with the added bonus of support for local educational centers, vulnerable youth and charities making it an even more meaningful investment.

Hopefully more local governments, not just in the UK, but everywhere else, will look at this and try to do things like it. Drivers who can’t install home charging would benefit greatly, as would everyone else who lives and breathes nearby.

Featured image provided by Connected Kerb.


Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Latest CleanTechnica TV Video


Advertisement
 
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.

Jennifer Sensiba

Jennifer Sensiba is a long time efficient vehicle enthusiast, writer, and photographer. She grew up around a transmission shop, and has been experimenting with vehicle efficiency since she was 16 and drove a Pontiac Fiero. She likes to get off the beaten path in her "Bolt EAV" and any other EVs she can get behind the wheel or handlebars of with her wife and kids. You can find her on Twitter here, Facebook here, and YouTube here.

Jennifer Sensiba has 1929 posts and counting. See all posts by Jennifer Sensiba