Electric Nation installs final charger
The Electric Nation project has installed its final smart charger as part of its trial with electric vehicle (EV) owners. The project will be assessing the smart charging technology and feedback from trial participants.
This milestone for the Electric Nation project was reached while the UK Government published its Road to Zero strategy, which lays out a roadmap for increased EV adoption. Plans for higher and faster levels of EV uptake are likely to lead to challenges with the capacity of local electricity networks at peak electricity demand times – smart charging can provide a solution to this problem.
Smart charging is also due to be mandated in the government’s Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill which has passed through Parliament. This could enable a wide range of services that could reduce the overall cost of charging for EV drivers who predominantly charge at home and enable local network protection at the same time.
Electric Nation has been successful in achieving its recruitment targets, with over 40 different makes and models of EVs taking part, installing 673 domestic smart chargers.
Mike Potter, managing director of DriveElectric, added, ‘The high level of interest that we’ve received from EV drivers to be participants in Electric Nation has reinforced the view that we’re now at a tipping point with EVs. In the next two years we’re likely to see a significant rise in the numbers of EVs on our roads, so it’s all the more important that our Electric Nation participants are engaging with us so enthusiastically to trial smart charging in advance of an expected roll-out of such technology nationwide.’
