EV charger provider Connected Kerb will install 10,000 public on-street chargers across West Sussex over the next year, and a deal for a further 30,000 elsewhere is expected to be signed next year.
The plans form part of the British company's long-term ambition to install 190,000 public on-street EV chargers by 2030, a project that's expected to cost up to £1.9 billion.
The government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) meets 75% of the cost of charger installations through the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS). Connected Kerb funds the remaining 25%, allowing for a “zero-cost installation opportunity” for councils.
The deal with West Sussex Council, through which nearly 10,000 chargers will be installed in public car parks and at community facilities by 2030, is claimed to be the UK’s largest ever deployment of EV chargers by a local authority.
“Knowing you can arrive at virtually any location at any time in any vehicle and cheaply charge your battery without inconvenience or faff is the reality we have to deliver to create an EV society,” said Connected Kerb CEO Chris Pateman-Jones.
“Our rollout of public chargers – one of the most ambitious the UK has ever seen – encapsulates that future, helping individuals and businesses to confidently make the switch to electric, reducing their carbon footprint and cutting air pollution.”
Kent County Council has announced that it has also chosen Connected Kerb to deploy at least 600 chargers by 2023. Installations will begin this year, with many being installed in parish towns and rural areas, which Connected Kerb says will provide “much-needed infrastructure to communities often overlooked in the EV transition".
Connected Kerb has also announced deals to supply more local councils with chargers, including Cambridge, Coventry, Medway, Milton Keynes, Plymouth and Warrington.
Another 100 chargers will be supplied to Glasgow City Council, East Lothian Council, Shropshire County Council and Hackney Council as part of the Agile Streets project.
Transport secretary Trudy Harrison said: ”Providing reliable and affordable on-street charging is vital as we work to decarbonise transport and level up across the country. It’s great to see Connected Kerb and local authorities working together as the government commits £2.5bn towards electric vehicle grants and the development of EV infrastructure in our towns and cities.”
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