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Birmingham City Council is piloting the use of 560 lamppost electric vehicle chargepoints across residential areas of the city where access to private off-street parking is limited or unavailable.
It says that the project, in partnership with Shell’s chargepoint subsidiary Ubitricity, is the first of its kind and could set a new standard for on-street EV charging.
Not having access to overnight charging ‘on your doorstep’ can be a deterrent to purchasing and keeping an EV long-term, says the council. And its initiative came about in response to data showing that most electric cars in the area are kept at homes without access to a private driveway.
The chargepoints will be available in 82 streets across the city, and meet the council’s key requirement to avoid street clutter, while, it says, strategically placing chargepoints based on resident demand and grid connection availability.
Ubitricity will supply, install, own, operate, and maintain the chargepoints on behalf of Birmingham City Council.
Councillor Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for Environment and Transport at Birmingham City Council, says that the chargepoints are essential infrastructure to encourage the move to zero-emission vehicles.
Stuart Wilson, UK managing director of Ubitricity, adds: “Ubitricity is delighted to be supporting Birmingham City Council as they begin this journey to create one of the largest public EV charging networks outside London, encouraging the transition to electric vehicles, and helping to create a cleaner and healthier, environment for the people of Birmingham.”
