Connected Kerb has installed 22 on-street electric vehicle chargers in Lambeth as part of a project to demonstrate how affordable and accessible public charging can be deployed.

They feature contactless payment via the Connected Kerb app.

The installation of the 7kW units is designed to help drive greater EV adoption among communities traditionally under-represented in the transition to EVs.

Households which have access to a driveways make up 80% of EV owners with the remaining 20% owned by those in houses or flats with no access to off-street parking.

Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb, said: “People often think electric vehicles are the preserve of a fortunate few with detached houses and driveways, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

“All communities, regardless of where they live, their social background, or whether they have a driveway or no, have lots to gain.

“Unfortunately, some communities are being failed by a classic chicken and egg scenario.

“Without high EV adoption, charge point operators won’t build public charging and without reliable charging, why would anyone go electric?”

The project forms part of the London Borough of Lambeth’s wider strategy to work with multiple charge point operators to install more than 200 charge points by 2022, with the aim of ensuring every household with no access to off-street parking is within a five-minute walk of their nearest charge point.

Approximately one-third of residents in Lambeth live on estates managed by the council and the majority of housing in the Borough does not have off-street parking.

Danny Adilypour, cabinet member for sustainable transport, environment and clean air at Lambeth Council, said: “As the first London council to declare a climate emergency, we’re committed to accelerating the transition to cleaner transport across our Borough – particularly by encouraging active travel and public transport.

“For residents who need to use private vehicles, we recognise how important access to EV charging is to provide the confidence to switch to cars with zero emissions at the tailpipe.

“Projects like this help us do just that, while also helping us reach our net zero targets and improve air quality on our streets, protecting the health of our communities.”

The project was funded in part through the UK Government’s On-street Residential Charge Point Scheme, available to all local authorities in the UK.

Through the scheme, 75% of the costs were financed by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles and the remaining costs were covered by the council.

The chargers have been installed at the following locations in the London Borough of Lambeth (2 x 7kW charge points at each site):

  • Pellar House, Vauxhall Gardens Estate.
  • Cotton Gardens Estate
  • Poynders Gardens
  • Hillside Gardens
  • Oaklands House, Springfield Estate
  • Greenleaf House, Tulse Hill Estate
  • Coachman House, Oaklands Estate
  • Weir Estate
  • Westgate Court, Canterbury Gardens Estate
  • Jeston House, York Hill
  • Albert Carr Gardens

In a separate project, Connected Kerb is working with Kent County Council to provide a blueprint for local authorities to deliver EV charging infrastructure in hard-to-reach communities.

In the project’s first phase, Connected Kerb is installing 40 charging units across 20 Kent parish sites.

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