Franklin Energy begins street charging project with £1.7m from DfT

Franklin Energy has been awarded £1.7 million of funding by the Department of Transport (DfT) to improve electrical vehicle charging technology for on street environments.

As the sole charging provider under the Innovate UK programme, Franklin will deliver smart on street charging solutions for cities throughout the UK.

The new fast EV charging system EnSmartEV, has been developed under a partnership with Entrust Microgrid, the project lead, based at the University of Lancaster.

Robert Byrne, managing director of Franklin Energy, said: “This is a ground breaking scheme that addresses the very real issues surrounding EV charging in public spaces. In order to meet government targets and roll out the drive towards EV ownership, we must have the infrastructure in place that meets the needs of modern life. This technology will provide highly efficient, incredibly low-cost charging solutions.”

Franklin will trial the technology across two sites in Merseyside through Halton Borough Council.  This will see two EnSmartEV charging hubs introduced into the local area to enable local residents to have improved access to EV charging as well as support the town centre in having publically accessible EV charging points.

The new charging hubs will be able to charge any type of EV – with the ability to charge up to 6 EV’s simultaneously.

To minimise the cost of electricity and grid impact, the new charging units have integrated batteries so they can use off-peak or low tariff electricity.

Byrne added: “This project will demonstrate what a huge difference efficient charging will have on existing EV drivers whilst encouraging others to make the shift to electric when weighing up options and viability. It’s great to be part of this pioneering scheme, and selected as the technology provider of choice, that will undoubtedly set a precedent for the EV UK movement.”

The project is being piloted in Halton, Merseyside from September 2019 and is being implemented via Halton Borough Council and the Liverpool City Region.

A similar network of electric vehicle rapid charging hubs are to be established across London as part of new effort to accelerate EV uptake in the capital.

The measure is included in an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan, launched by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, following the establishment of the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Taskforce last year which brought together representatives from business, energy, infrastructure, government and the London boroughs.