Twelve electric vehicle (EV) charging projects, including wireless charging and solar powered forecourts, are set to receive a share of government funding totalling £37 million.
Over £2.3 million has been awarded to Char.gy for the development and deployment of wireless charging on residential streets in Milton Keynes, the London Borough of Redbridge and Buckinghamshire County.
The project is in collaboration with the Open University and The University of Warwick’s Warwick Manufacturing Group. Char.gy has previously worked with Southwark Council to install a network of 50 lamppost chargers.
Richard Stobart, Char.gy CEO, said the company is “excited” to help accelerate the uptake of EVs through its ability to retrofit to existing vehicles and enable several parking bays per lamp column “without the need for cables”.
Over £3 million has been awarded to a project for the roll out of ‘pop up’ chargers built into pavements in Plymouth and Dundee, with the aim to provide a solution for drivers without access to off-street parking. Urban Electric, along with partners Urban Foresight, Co-wheels, Duku and Appy parking, is to conduct the project.
Others to receive funding include a renovation project to install chargers in car parks for overnight mass charging and a venture leveraging existing online and physical Virgin Media infrastructure to deliver cost-effective and widespread charging. As part of the project, information will be shared online on charging progress and parking spaces.
A storage and advanced electronics trial will also be funded. It will deliver semi-rapid charging using a low-power grid connection with the goal of minimising the need for substation upgrades.
Initial three-month feasibility studies have been completed, with the 12 successful projects moving to the next stage of development.
Michael Ellis, future of mobility minister, said the funding supports the key aims of the Road to Zero strategy through incentivising drivers to make the switch to EVs. The announcement comes one year on from the publication of the strategy, which was criticised after it was published for cuts to the Plug-in Car Grant.
However, whilst sales of hybrid EVs have decreased in the year since Road to Zero was released, it was revealed this week that sales of battery EVs have increased by 61%.