Shropshire switching on to pioneering electric vehicle charging scheme

Drivers in Shropshire are among the first to benefit from a pioneering on-street electric vehicle (EV) charging scheme launching in December 2021.

Shropshire Council is supporting the switch-on of 24 new on-street Connected Kerb EV chargers as part of the Agile Streets project funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The county’s charging points are in Bridgnorth, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch.

Shropshire is one of just four areas taking part in Agile Streets nationwide. The others are East Lothian, Glasgow and Hackney.

The Agile Streets project intends to demonstrate the use of a smart metering system as a new business model to manage public EV charging sustainably and offering EV drivers a flexible charging schedule, normally reserved for those with home charging.

The project will run from December 2021 until May 2022, giving hundreds of local drivers the opportunity to benefit. Once the trial is over, the 24 chargers will be handed over to Shropshire Council, providing much needed on-street EV charging infrastructure for future use, with the aim of increasing EV uptake ahead of the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles.

Adrian Cooper, Shropshire Council’s climate change task force leader, said:

“We have seen the growing interest in electric vehicle technology, as witnessed at our recent electric vehicle event in Shrewsbury.

“There is a great deal of interest from motorists in our county and we are delighted to be taking part in the Agile Streets project and opening up cost-effective charging opportunities to motorists who may not be able to access the best tariffs to charge their vehicles at home.

“Providing equal access to affordable electric vehicle charging across the country is a key part of our plan to become carbon net-neutral by 2030 and assist in the ambition for Shropshire as a whole to become carbon net-neutral in the same year.”

The Shropshire charging points can be found in the Severn Street Car Park, Bridgnorth; Oak Street Car Park, Oswestry; Abbey Foregate Car Park, Shrewsbury and in Brownlow Street, Whitchurch. There are six in each location.

The Agile Streets project is delivered by a consortium comprised of Samsung Research, Connected Kerb, Octopus Energy For Business, SMETS Design Limited, Energy Saving Trust and the Power Networks Distribution Centre. The project was awarded £1.5m by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to deliver the Beyond Off Street Smart Meter Electric Vehicle Charging programme.