Connected Kerb reveals £1.9bn plan to install 190,000 on-street EV chargers by 2030

Connected Kerb, the electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure specialist, has today (Monday, November 8) revealed plans to install 190,000 public on-street EV chargers, worth up to £1.9bn, by 2030.

The unprecedented investment aims to revolutionise access to EV charging for the tens of millions of drivers without off-street parking and support mass market charging for workplaces and fleets.

The company claims it has secured new partnerships for 10,000 public on-street EV chargers across the UK in 2021, the majority of which will be deployed across West Sussex and Kent, also announced today. The West Sussex tender is believed to be the UK’s largest-ever deployment by a local authority. Deals for a further 30,000 chargers are expected to conclude next year, as part of the company’s ambition to “level up” charging across the UK.

Dr Chris Pateman-Jones, chief executive officer of Connected Kerb, said: “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. 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.

“Targets are important – for an industry so critical to the decarbonisation of transport, we need goals to work towards and objectives to which we are all accountable. However, they need to be met with action. With deals confirmed for 10,000 chargers this year alone and 30,000 more expected next year, we are demonstrating that we’re getting on with the job and delivering the change that needs to happen – not just talking about it.”

He said EV ownership in the UK is skyrocketing, with pure EV sales up by 88% year-to-date compared to 2020 and one in four UK households intending to buy an EV in the next five years, as the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles approaches. However, there are currently only around 1,000 public-access on-street chargers outside of London and just one for every 52 EVs on UK roads. As a result, those without off-street parking or a dedicated parking space with domestic power supply – accounting for 62% of drivers – are being left behind in the EV transition, making up as few as 9% of EV drivers today.

Lord Gerry Grimstone, Minister for Investment at Department for International Trade and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said: “Connected Kerb’s significant investment in electric vehicle chargers will support the UK’s commitment to green growth and ambitious net zero targets.

“Investments like this will be vital to help reduce emissions and limit the rise in global temperatures whilst driving jobs, growth and levelling up across the country.”

Connected Kerb says local authorities are uniquely placed to spearhead the deployment of public on-street charging across the UK. The UK government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles meets 75% of the cost of installations through the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS). In many cases, Connected Kerb provides the remaining 25%, providing a zero-cost installation opportunity for councils.

As of July 1, 2021, the ORCS has funded the installation of 1,459 public charging devices since the scheme was established in 2017, with a further 3,200 charge points to be installed in the near future. In this year alone, local authorities across the UK have already committed to installing up to 10,000 Connected Kerb chargers by 2030. 

The majority of the 10,000 chargers will be installed on streets, in public sector car parks and at community facilities for West Sussex Council by 2030, following the tender win by Connected Kerb. The rollout is believed to be the UK’s largest ever deployment of EV chargers by a local authority. The scheme is expected to give residents the confidence to go electric in time for the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles and provide a blueprint for local authorities across the UK to deliver affordable, reliable, and accessible chargers in their thousands.

The agreement with Kent County Council will see Connected Kerb deploy at least 600 chargers by 2023. Installations are beginning this year, with many of the chargers installed in parish towns and rural areas across Kent, providing much-needed infrastructure to communities overlooked in the EV transition.

Thousands more chargers are also announced today as part of tenders with councils including Coventry (300 chargers), Cambridge (360) and Plymouth (100), and recently, Milton Keynes (250), Warrington (30), Medway (30), and Glasgow City Council, East Lothian Council, Shropshire County Council and Hackney Council, as part of the Agile Streets trial (100). 

Transport Minister 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.”

Connected Kerb has installed 1,000 chargers in 2021 and expects to have 5,500 installed across the UK, with contracts secured for 30,000 more, by the end of 2022. By 2030, the company plans to have 190,000 chargers installe