Connected Kerb, the electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure specialist, today announces plans to install 190,000 public on-street EV chargers, worth up to £1.9bn, by 2030. The unprecedented investment will revolutionise access to EV charging for the tens of millions of drivers without off-street parking and support mass market charging for workplaces and fleets.
The company has secured new partnerships for 10,000 public on-street EV chargers across the UK in 2021 alone, the majority of which will be deployed across West Sussex and Kent, announced today. The West Sussex tender is believed to be the UK’s largest ever deployment by a local authority. Deals for a further 30,000 chargers are expected conclude next year, as part of the company’s ambition to ‘level up’ charging across the UK.
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Dr Chris Pateman-Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Connected Kerb, said: “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. Our rollout of public chargers – one of the most ambitious the UK has ever seen – encapsulates that future, helping individuals and businesses to confidently make the switch to electric, reducing their carbon footprint and cutting air pollution.
“Targets are important – for an industry so critical to the decarbonisation of transport, we need goals to work towards and objectives to which we are all accountable. However, they need to be met with action. 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 – not just talking about it.”
EV ownership in the UK is skyrocketing. Pure EV sales are already up by 88% year-to-date compared to 2020[i] and one in four UK households intend to buy an EV in the next five years, as the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles approaches.[ii] However, there are currently only around 1,000 public-access on-street chargers outside of London[iii] and just one for every 52 EVs on UK roads.[iv] As a result, those without off-street parking or a dedicated parking space with domestic power supply – accounting for 62% of drivers[v] – are being left behind in the EV transition, making up as few as 9% of EV drivers today.[vi]
Lord Gerry Grimstone, Minister for Investment at Department for International Trade and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said: “Connected Kerb’s significant investment in electric vehicle chargers will support the UK’s commitment to green growth and ambitious net zero targets.
“Investments like this will be vital to help reduce emissions and limit the rise in global temperatures whilst driving jobs, growth and levelling up across the country.”
Local authorities leading the way
Local authorities are uniquely placed to spearhead the deployment of public on-street charging across the UK. The UK government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles meets 75% of the cost of installations through the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS). In many cases, Connected Kerb provides the remaining 25%, providing a zero-cost installation opportunity for councils.
As of 1st July 2021, the ORCS has funded the installation of 1,459 public charging devices since the scheme was established in 2017, with a further 3,200 charge points to be installed in the near future.[vii] In this year alone, local authorities across the UK have already committed to installing up to 10,000 Connected Kerb chargers by 2030, equivalent to a near seven-fold increase in the number of chargers installed through the scheme over its entire history.
The majority of the 10,000 chargers will be installed on streets, in public sector car parks and at community facilities for West Sussex Council by 2030, following a tender win by Connected Kerb, announced today. The rollout is believed the UK’s largest ever deployment of EV chargers by a local authority. The scheme will give residents the confidence to go electric in time for the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles and provide a blueprint for local authorities across the UK to deliver affordable, reliable, and accessible chargers in their thousands.
Kent County Council today also announces it has also chosen Connected Kerb to deploy at least 600 chargers by 2023. Installations are beginning this year, with many of the chargers installed in parish towns and rural areas across Kent, providing much needed infrastructure to communities often overlooked in the EV transition. Thousands more chargers are also announced today as part of tenders with councils including Coventry (300 chargers), Cambridge (360) and Plymouth (100), and recently, Milton Keynes (250), Warrington (30), Medway (30), and Glasgow City Council, East Lothian Council, Shropshire County Council and Hackney Council, as part of the Agile Streets trial (100).
Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said: “Providing reliable and affordable on-street charging is vital as we work to decarbonise transport and level up across the country.
“It’s great to see Connected Kerb and local authorities working together as the Government commits £2.5bn towards electric vehicle grants and the development of EV infrastructure in our towns and cities.”
Connected Kerb has installed 1,000 chargers in 2021 alone 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 plans to have 190,000 chargers installed.
Connected Kerb’s unique business model
Connected Kerb’s technology and business model is designed to be as affordable as possible, giving all communities access to affordable and reliable public EV charging. Unlike many public charge points, Connected Kerb’s infrastructure has a long-lasting design. The charging infrastructure is located below ground and installed once, with passive chargers that can be easily ‘switched on’ by adding the above ground charge point to match consumer demand.
This long-term business model means Connected Kerb can access private finance at a lower cost of capital. This substantially improves the economics of EV charging, making it affordable to install, ultimately reducing the cost for drivers and opening more opportunities to install chargers in areas that were previously uneconomical. For example, those with low footfall or poor grid infrastructure.
Each of Connected Kerb’s chargers provides a fast charge between 7kW and 22kW, 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.
About Connected Kerb
Connected Kerb are one of the UK’s leading charging point providers, delivering future-proof, cost-effective and sustainable EV charging solutions for the public sector, developers, fleets, workplaces, car parks and other organisations to help accelerate the transition to EVs for all. Its unique solution combines power and data at the kerb to deliver user-friendly and reliable charging and provide the foundation for connected cities and communities.
[ii] One in four consumers plan to buy an electric car in next five years according to Ofgem research
[iii] CMA: Summary: Building a comprehensive and competitive electric vehicle charging sector that works for all drivers
[iv] CMA: “5,700 on-street chargers in UK.” Next GreenCar: “300,000 pure-electric cars on UK roads”
[v] English Housing Survey 2016
[vi] EVA England: Improving drivers’ confidence in public EV charging
[vii] DfT: Electric vehicle charging device grant scheme statistics: July 2021
