In partnership with Cornwall Council, E-bike hire provider Beryl has secured funding to develop solar-powered e-bike charging hubs across Cornwall.
Six hubs, which will be strategically spread across the county, will use rubberised solar panels to charge Beryl’s e-bikes, reducing the number of battery swaps Beryl staff need to perform each day. The first hub is set to begin installation shortly, and all six hubs are expected to be completed by March 2025.
Beryl believes that the increased efficiency and reduction in operational costs brought about by this project could generate up to 50,000 more e-bike trips across Cornwall each year.
Head of policy at Beryl, Patrick Donnelly, said: “We’re really excited to deliver what could be a groundbreaking project for the industry, offering a blueprint for the delivery of successful e-share schemes in less densely populated rural areas.
“With over 300 e-bikes spread across 870 sq km, battery swapping in Cornwall can be time-consuming, costly and inefficient. The e-hubs could remove up to sixty swap jobs per day, freeing up more resources to carry out repairs and increasing the number of e-bikes available on the street by up to 15%.
“Without the need for grid connection, the hubs will also reduce the scheme’s carbon footprint and operational costs, making it more feasible to expand into new areas and maximise scheme potential.”
Connor Donnithorne, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for transport, added: “We want to support residents to make more sustainable choices about how they travel. This funding will not only increase the availability of e-bikes in areas such as Falmouth, Penryn and Newquay where we know they are in high demand, but also support our work to reduce Cornwall’s carbon emissions.”
Decarbonising UK transport
The funding has been awarded under the Transport Decarbonisation Demonstrators programme, funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Innovate UK. This funding scheme aims to support solutions that can both lower local transport carbon emissions and increase cooperation between businesses and local authorities, with £1 million of the available pot specifically allocated for projects seeking to facilitate decarbonisation in rural areas.
Bidders for this funding were asked to take a place-based approach to decarbonisation challenges and thus create projects specifically targeting the transport needs of specific areas, in collaboration with local authorities.
Mike Biddle, executive director for Net Zero at Innovate UK said: “By looking at decarbonisation through a place-based lens it is hoped that these projects will bring wider benefits above and beyond transport decarbonisation such as the improved health of residents through better access to active travel modes, a greater sense of community created by schemes or a decrease in congestion levels due to fewer private vehicles on the road.
“We’re looking forward to the project completion next year and seeing the impact.”
Innovate UK has made several other major investments into transport decarbonsiation projects in recent months, including a trial of shared electric vehicle (EV) charging depots for commercial fleets led by Paua, and a £63 million pilot of eHGV fleets led by Dynamon.
