Over the next two years, Oxfordshire residents will benefit from the largest installation of public electric vehicle (EV) charging points ever seen in the county following the award of two charge point operator (CPO) contracts.
Connected Kerb and Bicester-based EZ-Charge have been chosen to provide more than 1,500 public EV charging sockets, doubling the number currently available.
Connected Kerb has been selected to install and operate on-street EV chargers on the highway, as well as Oxfordshire County Council-run park and ride sites and other car parks. EZ-Charge has been chosen to install and operate EV charging hubs in district and city council car parks in Oxfordshire.
These two companies will work together with Oxfordshire’s councils to create a reliable, easy-to-use, contactless EV charging network spanning the county. This will give more people the opportunity to switch to an EV – regardless of where they live or their parking situation – to improve Oxfordshire's environment and air quality.
Public EV charger deployment will be prioritised in areas where a high proportion of residents lack off-street parking. Site feasibility will be one of the first priorities of the new CPOs, and so announcements about locations will not be made until later.
Oxfordshire County Council is also set to launch a community microhub scheme by inviting town and parish councils and other non-profit-making community organisations to host public EV charging points in car parks at community hubs such as village halls, community centres and sports pavilions. Six pilot sites have been chosen to have EV chargers installed later this year ahead of the scheme opening for formal applications.
Councillor Gareth Epps, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “This programme will provide a huge confidence boost to drivers looking to switch to EVs and build on our leadership in this field.
“One of our top aims is to get reliable, accessible public EV charging into rural and deprived areas. This will help ensure that nobody will be left behind in the transition to driving electric.”
Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb, said: “We are thrilled to have won the Oxfordshire contract and look forward to bringing our tried and tested EV charging solutions and innovative smart charging tariffs to the area.
“As one of the UK’s largest and most experienced CPOs, we look forward to meeting the growing EV charging needs of Oxfordshire’s residents, visitors and commuters and providing the highest standards in EV charging and customer service.”
Phil Shadbolt OBE, CEO of EZ-Charge, said: “It’s really exciting to be working with Oxfordshire councils again to install and operate EV charging hubs in district council car parks. Our experience from Park and Charge Oxfordshire has shown that providing high quality charging facilities in residential areas can give people without driveways the confidence to make the switch to EV.
“As a local company, we are particularly proud to be able to provide reliable and accessible EV charging to local residents where they really need it most.”
Funding comes from a combination of Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) and other grant funding from the government and significant private investment from the two CPOs.
Keir Mather, Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister, said: “We know charging availability is one of the biggest barriers to people going electric so it’s great to see over £3.6m of our investment rolling out 1,500 new public chargers in Oxfordshire, more than doubling the number available to drivers in the area.
“We’re also cutting upfront costs for families when they buy a new EV with our Electric Car Grant helping over 55,000 drivers save up to £3,750.”
The focus will be on standard 7kW chargers that residents without home chargers can charge their EVs with at discounted energy rates whilst parked overnight.
There will also be a smaller number of rapid 50kw+ chargers installed in strategic locations and the whole network will provide much needed top-up charging for residents, visitors, commuters and working drivers during the daytime.
West Oxfordshire District Council Cllr Andrew Prosser, Executive Member for Climate Action and Nature Recovery, said: “Expanding public charging in this way means more people can make the switch to electric with confidence. We at West Oxfordshire District Council are pleased to play our part in a countywide effort that gives residents real, practical choices where they haven’t previously had them.”
Councillor Mike Giles, South Oxfordshire District Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Policy and Climate Action, said: “Putting chargers in micro hubs such as village halls is the way forward for rural areas. In South Oxfordshire Stanton St John village hall installed EV chargers, thanks to a council grant. Increasing the charging network across the county gives people confidence to make the switch to EVs wherever they live.”
Councillor Dr Robert Clegg, Vale of White Horse District Council Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, Climate Action and Nature Recovery, said: “Many people want to reduce their carbon footprint and local air pollution, but it isn’t always practical to switch completely to public transport in our rural area, and not everyone can charge off-street at home. These contracts will give rural would-be EV owners access to charging sites, just as we already have at some of our town-based council car parks.”
Councillor Rob Pattenden, Cherwell District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Property and Assets, said: “Cherwell District Council is enabling this project by supporting the installation of electric vehicle charging points across our parking infrastructure. This investment is essential in Cherwell, where many residents do not have access to on-street charging.
“In addition, the district has significant transient traffic, increasing the demand for conveniently located charging facilities. By expanding access to charging infrastructure, we are making it easier for people to transition to electric vehicles. This will help reduce pollution; improving local air quality, whilst lowering the region’s impact on climate change.”
Last year, as part of the same government backed EV infrastructure programme, Oxfordshire County Council announced it had awarded the contract to ODS for the delivery of EV cable channel charging installations for homes without off-street parking.
Source: Oxfordshire County Council