The Energy Networks Association (ENA) has today (16 June) launched a new online tool to help organisations to introduce or expand electric transport fleets.
The new Transport Connections Guidance tool is designed to walk commercial, government, or not-for-profit organisations through the steps that need to be taken before a grid application connection is submitted for the connection of EV charging infrastructure. The interactive online tool has been developed and tested by the ENA and partially funded by UK distribution network operators (DNOs).
Those seeking to add or expand a grid connection for EV infrastructure can input information about their needs, including their location, business type, number of employees, and current electricity demand.
By supplying this information, the ENA can direct stakeholders towards resources from their relevant DNO, as well as informing the client of the information they will need ahead of submitting a connection application and where to find it, while also providing useful information about the workings of the electricity systems and key technical terminology that transport customers will encounter in the process of applying for a connection.
This is not the first time that the ENA has developed a tool to help those applying for a grid connection through the application system. In May of last year, the ENA launched Connect Direct, a platform powered by AI designed to streamline the application process for installers of low-carbon technologies such as EV chargers and home heat pumps.
The platform immediately proved popular, processing 1,000 applications in the first month of operations, and less than six months after its launch, it marked a significant milestone of processing 15,000 applications.
Research conducted last year by chargepoint operator (CPO) Believ found that while a significant proportion of UK businesses wish to install on-site EV chargepoints, the vast majority express frustration in the pace and complexity of applying for a grid connection. The survey showed that around 88% of UK businesses are already in the process of installing EV charging infrastructure, with a further 57% planning to double their charging capacity by 2028.
However, 70% of those surveyed stated that their EV charging ambitions had been delayed by the slow pace, high cost, and complexity of collaborating with grid operators to upgrade their power supply, with 11% citing it as a “significant barrier”. More than a quarter (27%) of applicants said that they found it difficult to get support from local councils to overcome these barriers, and a total of 74% stated that they are in need of specialist help.
Dan Clarke, head of innovation at ENA, said that the tool was developed to meet an expected increase in demand for new electric transport connections over the coming years, including “from sectors that have not traditionally had to engage with the electricity system at this level of detail”.
He added: “This tool aims to provide users with an enhanced understanding of the questions they need to ask themselves in order to progress their decarbonisation journey. It will enable them to adjust their connection applications to meet the technical standards set by the distribution networks and develop an efficient connection.”
Lilian Greenwood, future of roads minister at the Department for Transport called the future of electric transport in the UK “brilliant”, adding that the department is working closely with the ENA to aid the transition and “and it’s fantastic to see the new guidance which will help the industry make the switch”.
