Low provision of public charging infrastructure has been identified as a significant barrier to growth of the domestic EV market. Charge Collective will look to develop a network solution, in collaboration with Local Authorities, that can cut through the market, coordination, social and upfront connection cost challenges that lead to underinvestment in public charging infrastructure.
Objectives
The aim of the project is to develop a framework to overcome barriers to investment in public charging infrastructure by reducing network costs and facilitating the efficient provision of upfront support to investors. The objective will include the:
· Engagement of LAs, chargepoint investors and other EV stakeholders to help design an effective intervention;
· Design of a methodology and framework for determining when network intervention is appropriate and for coordinating investment;
· Development of methodology for a coordinated plan for a specific area;
· Testing of network cost savings associated with the methodology’s implementation;
· Design and road-testing of a tendering approach;
· Development of “ready to launch” tender docs (subject to the detailed CBA in (1.3) and successful testing of the tendering approach in (2.3); and
Greater understanding of opportunities for flexibility from public charging infrastructure.
Learnings
Outcomes
Key outcomes include:
· Established partnership with five LAs (Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Norwich, Norfolk and the London Borough of Redbridge) and development of framework for where chargepoints should be installed
· Procurement, reinforcement work and installation completed by Cambridge for 23 on-street chargepoints in two areas where locations were chosen through the framework developed
· Procurement completed and planning for connection and installation of 46 chargepoints in progress in Norwich
· Green Recovery funding granted and Regulatory Sandbox consent granted as a means to socialise the network reinforcement needed
· Conducted large scale survey with c.500 customers to determine opportunities and barriers for EV adoption among those without off-street parking
· Developed a commercial model through in-depth engagement with chargepoint operators and Ofgem, and submitted an Ofgem sandbox application for derogation
· Handbook on site selection and CBA results published;
Qualitative and quantitative research into opportunities and barriers for flexibility services in on-street chargepoints completed and report published
Lessons Learnt
Lessons learned include the best way to engage with stakeholders such as LAs, as well as ensuring all regulatory concerns are thought through and addressed before trialling new commercial models. To share these learnings the planned outputs of the project include handbooks for other DNOs and LAs. These form part of the practical tools needed to apply the processes and frameworks trailed in the project.
Key learnings are described in detail in the handbooks. A summary of them is set out below:
- The trial demonstrated the benefits of coordination between LAs and DNOs to deliver public chargepoints and meet Net Zero goals
- The project identified data sources and designed approaches for planning socially optimal chargepoint location sites that can be used in future projects
- LAs said that they learnt valuable lessons on the process of planning, procuring and delivering chargepoints and how to plan and implement their EV strategies as a result
- Continuous engagement with chargepoint operators and the market is important given the fast pace of change in this area
- LAs follow rigorous procurement processes requiring approval from multiple internal stakeholders including elected members. Combines with the novel nature of procuring chargepoints for some LAs, this an make the process lengthy and this should be built into project timelines.
