The roll out to Lidl stores in the UK of rapid chargers for electric vehicles has reached 100 with the installation of a 50kW charger at the Hayes Uxbridge Road store in Hillingdon, west London.

Under a deal agreed in 2019, charging infrastructure provider Pod Point extended its partnership with Lidl GB to install 350 rapid chargers by 2022.

Lidl’s EV rapid charger rollout represents a total investment in EV charging infrastructure of more than £25m and forms part of the store group’s commitment to address range anxiety and accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.

Lidl’s EV customers can now charge their EVs with up to 80% charging capacity in 50 minutes, and the retailer claims to be the cheapest national supermarket chain for PAYG rapid charging, at 23p/kWh.

Commenting on the milestone, Erik Fairbairn, Pod Point founder and CEO, said: “When most people think of Lidl, they probably think of food and drink. However, Lidl has also made an enormous contribution to rapid charging infrastructure in Great Britain. Currently 2.5 out of every 100 rapid chargers in the UK can be found at Lidl stores, and there are many more in the pipeline.”

Alan Barry, chief development officer for Lidl GB, commented: “We are committed to empowering our customers to make the right decisions for their lifestyle and are delighted to have reached this important milestone of bringing rapid charging for electric vehicles to 100 of our stores. We look forward to delivering this service to even more local areas in the near future as we continue with our investment.”

Lidl is also home to the most energetic public charger within the Pod Point network, at Lidl Northolt in West London, which delivered almost 40,000 kWh in 2020.

The 100th charger milestone represents around 13% of the total Lidl footprint with rapid charging facilities, a figure that will grow to more than a third once the rollout is complete.

Read more: FORECOURTtrader

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A rise in the usage of ultra-rapid chargers has been recorded by Zap-Map in a new survey of electric vehicle (EV) drivers.

In 2020, 16% of EV drivers used ultra-rapid chargers, with this being a significant increase from the 3% recorded the year before. There has also been an increase in the rollout of these chargers, with 788 ultra-rapid chargers across the country, up from 476 at the end of 2019.

However, despite this boost in ultra-rapid charging, the survey of 2,200 drivers found that 50kW rapid chargers are still the most popular with 64% of respondents using these chargers.

Both ultra-rapid and 50kW rapid chargers are typically seen in the public network, with the survey finding that 90% of EV drivers use the public charging network and 39% use it at least once a week. This has dropped from the 2019 figure of 95%, although this is likely to be due to the impact of COVID-19 on driving patterns and car usage, Zap-Map said.

When specific locations are looked at, 48% charge at supermarkets, with 47% charging at motorway service stations and 32% charging at public car parks. Previously, motorway service stations had been the most popular, although supermarkets have only pipped them by 1%. Zap-Map said the increase in the number of chargers at supermarkets – with 1,631 chargers in 952 locations – combined with he availability of free charging at some of the major chains is driving this shift.

Supermarkets such as Tesco, Aldi and Morrisons have all signed deals for EV charging, with Tesco’s rollout – in partnership with Pod Point and Volkswagen – hitting a new milestone in 2020 with 402 chargers installed at 200 stores.

Meanwhile, 84% of EV drivers regularly charge at home according to the survey. Dr Ben Lane, co-founder and chief technical officer at Zap-Map, said the report comes at a “crucial time for the EV market” and shows that EV drivers are “adapting to changes in the market”.

“One of the clear conclusions is the importance of having a robust and reliable charging network. As the number of EVs continues its upward march, it’s vital that drivers are offered the simplest and smoothest experience possible.”

Read more: CURRENT

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Proposals to accelerate electric car rollout also call for grants towards buying secondhand electric vehicles

Oil companies should be required to install rapid chargers for electric cars in all their petrol stations above a certain size by 2023 in order to speed up the rollout of vehicles with zero tailpipe emissions, according to thinktank Bright Blue.

Bright Blue’s report also calls for a reversal in cuts to government grants for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), a new grant to help low income households buy secondhand BEVs, and for the lower lifetime costs of BEVs compared with those of petrol and diesel cars to be made clear at the point of sale.

The transport sector is the UK’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, responsible for almost 28% of emissions in 2018, but unlike other sectors has made minimal reductions in recent years. Cars cause over half of the emissions. The government has announced an end to sales of petrol and diesel cars in 2030 to help tackle the climate crisis.

Ministers have committed to BEV grants until 2023 but Bright Blue said they should be front-loaded, rising to £5,000 from today’s £3,000. To encourage purchases, the grants would then taper down to zero in 2023, when the prices of BEVs are expected to match those of conventional cars due to falling battery costs.

The grant for used BEVs should be £2,000, the thinktank said, and such schemes already exist in the Netherlands and France. People say upfront cost is the main barrier to buying BEVs, according to polling. A cut in the subsidy level was blamed in 2019 for a fall in sales.

“In 2020, 6.6% of new UK vehicle sales were BEVs. Those figures are going to need to increase dramatically within nine years, if we’re going to meet the petrol and diesel phase-out by 2030,” said Patrick Hall at Bright Blue.

Hall said rapid chargers away from motorways were currently rare. Requiring oil companies to install at least three at each petrol station would help tackle the fear drivers have of not being able to recharge their cars on longer journeys, he said, adding that the government could pay for the necessary grid connections through the existing £950m Rapid Charging Fund.

Shell, which has 1,000 petrol stations in the UK, has almost 100 rapid chargers on its forecourts and aims to have 200 by the end of 2021. “Whether at home, at work or on-the-go, we want to provide our customers with accessible and affordable EV charging options,” said István Kapitány, at Shell Global Mobility.

The Bright Blue report also recommends introducing an obligation on all local authorities to install on-street BEV chargers within three months when requested by residents. “You would end up getting chargepoints in places where they are needed and going to be utilised – it’s a targeted chargepoint rollout,” said Hall.

On Tuesday, the government announced a £20m extension to its on-street residential chargepoint scheme, which could fund 4,000 more chargepoints. The same day, another thinktank, Policy Exchange, said installations needed to increase from 7,000 to 35,000 points a year to meet the 2030 deadline for the end of sales of fossil fuel-powered cars.

Other policies proposed by Bright Blue include making the interoperability of different charging networks a condition for central and local government funding, as already is the case in Germany and California. Hall said this would allow drivers to roam easily between different networks in the same way as mobile phone users.

Another policy proposal is to immediately mandate that all new vehicles bought by central and local government must be BEVs. There are approximately 75,000 vehicles in the public fleet.

Read more: The Guardian

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Funding for the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) will continue into 2021/22, as local authorities are urged to take advantage of a new £20 million funding boost.

ORCS was launched in 2017, and already 140 local authority projects have received funding from the scheme, helping to install nearly 4,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints around the country.

The funding boost announced today (2 February 2021) by transport secretary Grant Shapps could double this number of chargepoints.

Shapps said drivers “from Cumbria to Cornwall” could benefit from the EV rollout currently underway.

“With a world-leading charging network, we’re making it easier for more people to switch to electric vehicles, creating healthier neighbourhoods and cleaning up our air as we build back
greener.”

ORCS has been increased a number of times since its inception, with a further £2.5 million announced for the scheme in August 2019.

With government targets for the electrification of transport becoming increasingly ambitious – in particular with the move to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 as part of the Ten Point Plan – the need for accessible on-street charging is growing to accommodate the increasing demand as well as to tackle challenges like range anxiety.

Nick Harvey, senior programme manager at Energy Saving Trust, said the £20 million ORCS funding in 2021/22 is “great news”.

“This funding will allow local authorities to install convenient and cost-effective electric vehicle charging infrastructure for those who rely on on-street parking. This helps to support the fair transition to the increased adoption of low carbon transport.

“We’re therefore encouraging local authorities to access this funding as part of their plans to decarbonise transport and improve local air quality.”

Read more: CURRENT

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The West Midlands will get a significant boost to its residential charging infrastructure. This follows Warwickshire County Council’s award of a £584,000 contract to bp pulse.

A total of 118 new 7.4kW on-street chargers will be installed across North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Stratford-on-Avon, and Warwick. As part of the bp pulse network, these chargers will be available on a pay-as-you-go basis or there’s a membership available for reduced charging costs and user support.

These new chargers will be installed by bp pulse. This is thanks to a successful bid to the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) for £412,500, run by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles. It will fund up to 75% of the cost, with match funding provided by bp pulse to cover the remaining cost. This is a great opportunity for Warwickshire to improve its charging infrastructure.

ORCS provides on-street charging for those that don’t have a drive or other off-street are to install a home charger. With on-street charging available in residential areas, this makes EV ownership possible for a wider range of people.

Matteo de Renzi, CEO of bp pulse, said: “We are proud to work with Warwickshire County Council to help enable more drivers to make the switch to electric, importantly including those without access to off-street parking at home. This partnership is a great example of private and public sector collaboration, and of our commitment to help local authorities develop charging infrastructure that meets the needs of their communities, contributing to reducing local emissions and improving air quality.”

As well as in on-street locations, some chargers will also be installed at council-owned residential car parks.

Cllr Heather Timms, portfolio holder for heritage, culture and the environment at Warwickshire County Council, said: “We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint in Warwickshire with a view to the county being carbon neutral by 2030. The shift towards electric vehicles is integral to that so we are pleased to support the initiative and build up the EV charging point infrastructure throughout Warwickshire.”

The 118 chargers should be fully installed by March 2021.

Read more: ZAP MAP

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UK Power Networks (UKPN) has worked with IONITY for the installation of six high-power chargers at the Extra Motorway Services’ area on the M25.

The 350kW chargers – which are to use 100% green energy – have now been successfully installed at the Cobham Services, although UKPN pointed to the challenges of working in motorway service areas, including managing traffic flow.

As a result, UKPN undertook some of the works on the chargers outside of normal working hours to minimise disruption for customers. Tom Atkinson, senior project designer at UKPN, stated the DNO is “delighted with the outcome” of the installations.

UKPN is hoping to continue the “success with this kind of electrical connection” and working with various key players to develop a portfolio of projects.

IONITY is currently working with Extra MSA to rollout high-power charging across its motorway service stations, with the partnership between the two first announced in June 2019.

In April 2020, it opened the first site to feature six of its new 350kW chargers, which have a new design and improved functionality. It ordered 324 of the chargers from ABB in January 2020.

David Metcalfe, rollout manager at IONITY, said that the UK “needs high-power charging stations” to support the transition to net zero transport and that as these chargers are rolled out “it’s crucial that local distribution network operators can quickly and efficiently deliver new large connections”.

Read more: CURRENT

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Engie has secured a contract with Whitbread to install electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints at Premier Inn hotels.

The company is to install 600 chargepoints across 300 hotels over the next three years, with these to form part of Engie’s GeniePoint network.

Sam Hockman, divisional CEO of futures at Engie UK & Ireland, said the contract highlights the “key role the hospitality sector can play to support … the uptake of EVs” as well as the wider commitment to becoming net zero by 2050.

Guests of the Premier Inn hotels will be able to use the 50kW+ chargers, as well as members of the public using the GeniePoint network.

Installations of the chargers are to begin in March, with Enfield in London set to be the first location.

Commenting on the new partnership, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng praised the companies for allowing “stress-free electric vehicle charging when we are able to visit our favourite pubs and restaurants again”.

Last year, Engie announced it would be installing EV chargers for waste management company Biffa, with an initial 14 Alfen EV chargers to go in at Biffa’s sites.

It also announced that year the installation of thirteen 50kw+ chargers as part of a partnership with Bromsgrove District Council, with BMM Energy Solutions carrying out the physical installations.

Read more: CURRENT

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A fully operational Shell service station in Fulham, West London could soon be entirely replaced by electric vehicle chargers, making it the first to do so in the UK.

It’s another signal that the shift to electric vehicles is well underway, and follows hot on the heels of the UK announcement last week to bring forward a ban on new petrol and diesel car sales to 2035.

Similar changes are already underway in Norway and the US, where fuel pumps have been ripped out in favour of EV chargers in preparation for a transition to electric vehicles.

The EV-only hub, for which a planning application will be submitted by the end of February, will consist of 10 150kW DC fast chargers situated under solar panel canopies complete with flower beds.

“We’re looking at the next evolution and the needs of our customers in the broader sense,”Shell UK general retail manager Bernie Williamson was quoted as saying by Forecourt Trader.

“We’re doing nature-based solutions, giving motorists the opportunity to do something about their carbon footprint as we continue to invest and ramp up long-term solutions of electric vehicle charge posts for those people when they’re ready to move to EV transportation.

“We’re ideally placed for that – we have a fantastic network where over 75% of the population are within 15 minutes of a Shell service station.”

The announcement comes as Shell installed its 50th EV charger in the UK and the first 150kW charger at a service station.

The welcoming, eco-friendly environment will be complimented with a convenience with grass roof where drivers can spend some time relaxing while their electric vehicles “top up”.

By the end of 2020, Shell plans to have installed a total of 70 charging sites with a view to as many as 200 by the end of 2021.

“We’re trying to look at customer demand, and trying to be slightly ahead of that demand. There’s big demand in the cities, and then it will be the joining up of the cities,” said Williamson.

“In London our busiest site is in Holloway where we have two chargers, handling about 200 customer visits a month. We’ve started with 50kW posts, but are gradually moving to 150kW.

“Our charge posts are supplied by 100% renewable electricity – so by definition if you’re an EV driver and you’re charging up at Shell, you’re driving carbon neutral,” said Williamson.

Read more: The Driven

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Wallbox charger or smart charger? And how do you install your charger once you’ve chosen it? We answer all your questions about charging your EV at home

Around 80 percent of all electric car charging takes place at home, which means it’s important to make sure you’ve got the right technology to make plugging in as painless, quick and cost effective as possible. To make the whole process as straightforward as possible we’ve pulled together this guide that will answer all your questions on the different methods of charging.

Are all electric car chargers the same?

There are effectively two options when it comes to home charging – you can either use the slow charger provided with the vehicle or have a wallbox installed. The former uses a standard 3-pin plug to take power from your domestic supply, plus is simple to use and extremely portable. However, with battery sizes increasing all the time these units can take over 24 hours to deliver a full charge and as a result manufacturers recommend they are only for ‘emergency use’. A better bet, especially if you’re committed to everyday EV use, is a wallbox charger. Installed on the side of your house or in a garage, it is capable of delivering faster charging times safely and reliable. It’s also easier to use and doesn’t require numerous cables running from the house.

What is a wallbox charger?
Essentially it’s a standalone charger that’s wired directly into your domestic electricity supply. As the name suggests, it’s mounted to the external wall of your property and allows you to quickly and easily plug your car in to charge. Better still, you can buy fast charging units that will slash the time it takes to replenish the battery, while there are also ‘smart’ units that you can programme remotely to only charge at certain times (such as when your electricity tariff is cheapest) and that can condition the battery to increase its lifespan.

Most wallbox units are fast chargers, delivering electricity at 7kW, although there are simpler and cheaper 3kW slow chargers available.
You’ll require a driveway, garage or some other form of off-street parking close to your house if you want a wallbox, as you can’t stretch the charging lead over a public footpath or road, plus it will need to be installed by a professional electrician.

How much does it cost to install an electric car home charger?
This depends on your desired charging speed and the ‘smart’ features you want from your charger. Basic 3kW slow chargers start at around £100 or so, while you’ll need around £300 for a faster 7kW unit. ‘Smart’ units that feature wireless control via a smartphone app are anything between £450 and £1,000. On the whole the cost of fitting is included in the price, but there may be an extra charge if significant changes need to be made to your household wiring. Better still, some manufacturers are currently offering a free wallbox and fitting when you purchase one of its EVs, so it’s worth looking at what offers are out there.

What is the wallbox grant?
To encourage drivers to switch to EV, the Government is offering financial incentives through its OLEV (Office of Low Emissions Vehicles) department. If you buy a new EV, then you’ll currently qualify for a grant that pays for 75 percent of the price and installation cost of a wallbox, up to a maximum of £350. Currently you can apply for a grant for each EV you own, although this is limited to just two vehicles.

How to get an electric car charging point installed at home

The most straightforward way is to arrange the installation through the company selling the wallbox. The price of fitting is often included in the purchase price with the wallbox provider having its own approved installers. If you buy the unit on its own then you can choose your own technician, but they will need to have accreditation from the manufacturer of your chosen device.

It’s worth being aware that the fitter will probably need to check your preferred location for fitting and your home’s electrical circuitry before going ahead. And if you want the wallbox fitted a long way from your fuse box or your wiring needs upgrading, then be prepared to pay a bit more for installation.

Read more: AUTOCAR

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