Surrey County Council has launched a trial of domestic kerbside electric vehicle (EV) charging points in the county, to allow residents to charge their EVs from home without the need for a driveway.
The trial, one of the first in the UK, will allow residents to choose from two options - either cable gullies or a Trojan AON charger - with both connecting to a residents’ domestic energy supply. The trial will allow Surrey County Council (SCC) to assess effectiveness and popularity, combined with feedback from residents who participate.
In Surrey, almost half the emissions we generate in the county come from transport, with roughly half of this from private vehicles. Reducing the emissions from the way we travel can help lessen our own carbon footprint. Approximately 40% of households in Surrey do not have access to a driveway at home, so innovative solutions are needed to encourage more people to switch to EVs.
Cable gullies are channels installed in the pavement that can be used to safely trail an EV charging cable, and AON chargers are installed on the pavement near the kerb with a cable laid underneath the pavement connecting it directly to a property’s own electrical supply. Installation and maintenance of the cable gullies will be managed by SCC, and the AON chargers - developed by Trojan Energy and SCC - will license Trojan Energy to install, maintain and operate AON chargers on the county's highways.
Commenting, Cllr Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Transport said:
“Many Surrey residents have written to us in the last year with interest in new and innovative ways to charge electric vehicles from their home. I am delighted to be able to offer these two new kerbside charging products to our residents. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of this trial and hope this could provide another charging solution for residents and allow more people to switch to electric vehicles.”
