Volunteers from the Banbury area wanted to test new on-street E-vehicle charging system using their own electricity supply

The new project, being run by Oxfordshire County Council, will test on-street electric vehicle charging that allows residents to connect their electric vehicle safely to their home electricity supply when parked outside their home.

The channel is seamlessly integrated into the pavement and has been designed so that cables don’t cause a trip or slip hazard.

Compared to installing electric charger bollards on the street, the arrangement causes less street clutter, especially where pavements are narrow and it is much cheaper to install.

Connecting to a household’s own electricity supply means charging is cheaper and more convenient than using an on-street chargepoint. It also means residents with solar panels can charge their EVs directly from their own renewable energy supply.

The project also builds on previous work completed in the Go Ultra Low Oxford Project, led by Oxford City Council in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council.

The plan is to run a pilot of 30 installations across Oxford and Cherwell districts and the county council is looking for 30 volunteers to take part.

The trial has been made possible through grant funding awarded to Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford Direct Services by Innovate UK and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles. Volunteers are being sought to take part in the trial.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change Delivery and Environment, said: “Dealing with practical day to day obstacles that prevent people from being able to confidently purchase electric vehicles is one area where we would like to see progress.

“This project will support the delivery of our recently adopted Oxfordshire Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, and the vision of the zero carbon transport system by 2050. We are on the lookout for residents to come forward as volunteers in Cherwell and Oxford City to take part in this trial with us.

“Oxfordshire is ahead of the UK curve in its transition from petrol and diesel vehicles to cleaner, greener electric vehicles, with over 6000 electric and ‘ultra-low emissions vehicles’, currently on our roads.

“We know that electric vehicle uptake is going to increase in the next five years in Oxfordshire, but a lack of suitable charging can be a barrier, especially for the estimated 30-40 per cent of Oxfordshire residents who have no access to off-street parking and can’t install a home charger. This trial will have those people especially in mind. I look forward to seeing them begin.”

The county council expects installations will start in December 2021-January 2022. To qualify for the pilot, volunteers must have, or have frequent access to an EV or plug-in car or van, and must live in a property where they cannot park off the street.

Volunteers must also be willing to take part in interviews, workshops and surveys as part of our research. Volunteers will be selected based on these requirements, assessment of the suitability of their property and other research factors. To register interest volunteers should follow the link to a web form https://service.oxfordshire.gov.uk/evpilots