EV charging provider Cosmic Charging has completed a project that will give over 300 residents of a Scottish apartment building future access to EV charging.
EV charging is often limited or inaccessible for residents of apartment buildings, which have large centralised car parks without the potential to install EV chargers on an individual basis. To address this issue, Cosmic Charging has equipped 319 parking bays at the Britannia Quay development in Leith, Scotland, with power supplies, allowing residents to install their own EV chargers for personal use if and when they switch to an EV.
Additionally, 22kW smart chargers have been installed for all current EV drivers living in the building.
The installation was funded by private finance provided by Cosmic Charging in collaboration with a grant from the Office of Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV), and residents will only pay for their own individual charging hardware and the electricity they use to charge their vehicles. Cosmic Charging states that it is in discussions with other housing associations, freeholders, and property managers to establish if this project can be replicated in other buildings.
James Stevens, director of Cosmic Charging, said that the project proves that providing EV charging to apartment residents is simpler than many have previously assumed.
He added: “We’ve proven that with the right funding model, technology partners and implementation, every resident can have a personal charger at an affordable price. Previously insurmountable challenges around power capacity, accurate billing, management responsibility and on site disruption have been met”.
Expanding home EV charging access
With sales of new battery electric vehicles accounting for 21.9% of the automotive market last month, the demand for EV charging facilities has continued to rise.
However, research from analytics firm Cornwall Insight has revealed that affordability issues for EVs, including for EV charging costs, are posing a significant threat to the uptake of EVs in the UK. The report notes that while 80% of current EV owners can benefit from home charging, around 75% of UK homes, including the residents of apartment blocks, lack access to a driveway, forcing them to rely on more expensive public charging for their EV. Previous data from Cornwall Insight showed that public charging can cost up to £1,500 more per year than using an off-peak home charging tariff.
