Durham in the North East of England, is trialling a pilot scheme aiming to boost electric vehicle (EV) charging for those without driveways.
The region is testing Kerbo Charge, a system that is installed on tarmac or stone pavements directly outside a customer’s home. This creates a narrow channel with a hinged lid in which users can easily place a charging cable, running it to their car.
The first property of 30 to be fitted with a Kerbo Charge was in Sunniside, Crook.
Supporting this technology can scale the rate of adoption for EVs with many citing disparities in accessibility and access to cheaper rates as current obstacles hindering its adoption.
Those with driveways and access to home chargers tend to benefit from cheaper rates as opposed to those who must charge at public chargers. This topic was explored in a Current± article here.
Councillor John Shuttleworth, cabinet member for highways, rural communities, and community safety at Durham County Council, said: “We are delighted to have been selected to pilot this pioneering technology which will make owning an EV accessible to more of our residents.
“We decided to be involved in the pilot after residents living in properties without driveways got in touch with us about seeking a solution to charge their EVs. Their properties were checked for suitability before a programme of installation was planned and a contribution towards the install was agreed.
“County Durham has many terraced streets and properties without driveways. Whilst we have installed hundreds of publicly accessible EV charge points in every area in the county, this solution will allow residents to access EV charging at home, making it easier for more people to drive an EV and reduce their carbon emissions. It also supports our work as part of our Climate Emergency Response Plan where we are working towards reducing emissions across the county.”
Current± publisher Solar Media is hosting its EV World Congress event in London this 10-11 October. The conference will focus on some of the key discussion points from across the EV sector including delivering coherent EV charging strategies, whether the UK is on course for its 2030 charging target, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology and more. More information, including how to attend, can be read here.