THE issue for businesses or company car drivers wanting to switch to an electric car (EV), can be hampered if there is no off-street charging available.
But a new trial in Oxford aims to overcome that and connect a domestic supply to on-street charging.
The trial involves 30 on-street electric vehicle charge points across Oxford and Cherwell. Funding comes from Innovate UK and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, while the trials will be delivered by Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford Direct Services, a Local Authority Trading Company owned by Oxford City Council.
The tests will involve a specially designed channel installed into the pavement, allowing residents to safely connect their EV to their home electricity supply when parked outside their home.
Current solutions involve a kerbside unit or one mounted to a lamppost which don’t link into a households utility bills. Either that or trailing cables across a street which is potentially extremely unsafe for pedestrians.
Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for Climate Change Delivery and Environment, said:
“We know that electric vehicle uptake is going to increase in the next five years in Oxfordshire, but a lack of suitable charging can be a barrier, especially for the estimated 30-40 per cent of Oxfordshire residents who have no access to off-street parking and can’t install a home charger. This trial will have those people especially in mind. I look forward to seeing them begin.”
Volunteers to take part in the trial are being invited to put their names forward, with installations expected to start in December 2021 and into January 2022. To qualify, participants must own of have frequent access to a plug-in car or van, live in a property where they cannot park off-street, and be willing to feedback as part of the project’s research.
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