Pioneering near-home EV charging in Dundee

In 2023, Urban Fox partnered with Dundee City Council (DCC) to deploy cutting-edge near-home EV charging solutions across the city. This collaboration aimed to provide convenient, accessible, and low impact charging options, especially for residents without access to off-street parking.

Building on DCC’s reputation as a leader in EV infrastructure, we rolled out the latest model of our award-winning retractable UEone chargepoints—the first of its kind in Europe—demonstrating its critical role in any near-home EV charging network.

The partnership began with an initial 2.5-year pilot project in 2020. The success of the pilot, coupled with positive resident feedback, led to DCC awarding Urban Fox a direct contract to install a further 18 UEone chargepoints funded through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS). This initiative showcased the UEone’s versatility to provide a low impact, efficient charging service to EV owners across a range of different locations and environments in Dundee.

Latest project scope and deployment

18 dual-socket retractable UEone chargepoints have been added to Dundee’s network of charging hubs strategically located across the city. This infrastructure is designed to offer a scalable solution that can grow with demand. DCC chose Urban Fox and the UEone for the following reasons:

• Backed by Balfour Beatty: Leveraging over a century of experience, Urban Fox is a safe pair of hands in delivering large-scale infrastructure projects in partnership with local authorities.

• Flat and flush design: The UEone chargepoints auto-retract into the ground when not in use, keeping pavements clear and reducing street clutter.

• Accessibility: The chargepoint sockets rise to a height accessible for all EV drivers (80cm above ground level) making it the only PAS 1899:2022-complaint chargepoint that is flush-fitting. It also allows for one-handed insertion of the Type-2 charging cable.

• Low impact infrastructure: Discreet and elegant, the UEone minimises the visual impact on urban landscapes and reduces the risk of vandalism.

As part of deployment, we installed dropped kerbs at the Roseangle car park charging hub, to further enhance accessibility, ensuring easier access for all users including those with mobility issues.

We also reinstated elements from the pilot project including the unique feeder pillar for the V&A Dundee flagship hub. This was produced by a local designer after we engaged with Dundee’s tech community in addressing the visual aesthetics of EV charging infrastructure.

Throughout the network deployment and after its completion, we maintained strong interactions with local fleets, taxi offices, and other local businesses to enhance utilisation and meet the specific charging needs of these important stakeholders.

Network planning and passive provision

We used sophisticated data sets and GIS to identify optimal locations for chargepoints. In several areas like the V&A Dundee, we adopted a passive provision approach to support future expansion. We completed the civil works to deploy up to 5 chargepoints and activated 3 of them to meet current demand. This ensured efficient, sustainable utilisation and allows for easy scaling as EV adoption grows, as we can easily drop in extra chargepoints within hours, without further disruption to car park users or residents.

Resident engagement and app launch

Urban Fox collaborated closely with DCC on a resident engagement campaign, sending direct mail to 8,100 residents living near the charging hubs. We also created posters and other marketing materials for locations such as community hubs, doctor’s surgeries, and libraries, and created content for local Facebook groups, and on-street advertising near the charging hubs.

This campaign significantly boosted both chargepoint utilisation and downloads of the Urban Fox app, with app downloads increasing by 30% within the first month of campaign launch. Designed with user-friendliness at its core, the app features AI-driven translation into the user’s preferred smartphone language, making it accessible to a diverse range of users. Dundee City Council praised it as an “impressive, user-friendly app.”

Operations and maintenance

This latest project’s success is underpinned by a comprehensive operations and maintenance service. Key activities included:

• Contractor management: Ensuring high-quality installation through careful oversight and contractor training.

• Infrastructure setup: Securing grid connections, conducting necessary civil and electrical work, and managing the network expansion.

• Ongoing support: Providing continuous support through helpdesk operations, back-office services, and app development to ensure smooth functioning and user satisfaction.

Despite facing weather constraints and the need to adjust schedules, our experience and proactive approach enabled us to keep the project on track and ensured the delivery of high-quality, reliable EV charging infrastructure for Dundee.

Challenges, risk management, and operations

Deploying the UEone chargepoints across Dundee, particularly in busy urban environments, presented a series of challenges that required meticulous planning and management:

• Busy locations: Installing chargepoints in high-traffic areas such as Dock Street necessitated pausing work during peak periods, including the Christmas season, to minimise disruption to local businesses and ensure smooth operations.

• Contractor management: We offered contractors robust training on the unique design of the UEone product to ensure they were able to meet our high standards of finish. This training addressed specific requirements related to the installation and maintenance of our innovative hardware.

• Weather constraints: The winter weather posed significant challenges, requiring careful planning and execution to mitigate delays and maintain progress.

• Back-office provider: Effective back-office systems were crucial for managing minor issues and ensuring robust support infrastructure was key to addressing these challenges efficiently, which is why we chose Monta.

• Resident interaction: In one of the locations, residents were opposed to putting a hub on-street as they didn’t understand the benefits or the technology. We created an explainer leaflet for residents to gain their support and push forward with deployment.

• DNO quotes: Urban Fox assisted DCC with the DNO quoting process.

The successful rollout of the charging network was a testament to Urban Fox’s proactive approach to risk management and maintaining a collaborative relationship with its client, DCC. By maintaining strong project governance, engaging in regular status meetings, and closely coordinating with DCC and residents, we navigated these challenges effectively.

Outcomes and lessons learned

The project has been a resounding success, with high reliability, strong client satisfaction, and positive resident feedback. A Dundee resident said, “This is an excellent product, easy to use, always reliable and keeps my street uncluttered! Well done.”

Urban Fox’s innovative solutions have supported Dundee’s transition to a 100% EV fleet, ensuring that residents and visitors alike have access to reliable, accessible EV charging. The importance of low-impact, sleek, and elegant solutions that enhance urban landscapes has been reinforced through this project.

Here are some of the lessons learned:

• It is essential to liaise with the local authority about planning as soon as possible, to determine any closed off periods in the areas we are deploying in, as well as planned roadworks

• Ensure contractors understand the task to complete, demonstrated a well-considered Risk Assessment Method Statement (RAMS) and competent well-trained operatives.

• It’s important to have a reliable and robust back-office platform Monta that suits our needs as we scale.

• Collaborating with the local authority to engage with residents from planning stages through to completion and ongoing network management. Adopting a thorough marketing campaign ensures the communities we serve are aware of the new infrastructure being installed and how to use the charging network.

• Early engagement with the DNO and face to face meetings on-site ensured timely quotes and the best outcomes. In one instance, this engagement saw DNO costs reduce from £30k to £10k due to collaborative working on the best site solution.

• Reasonable contracts are key to success. The contracting approach considered the balance of risk taken by the partners to deliver a sustainable charging network for Dundee residents.

• Proper planning and a flexible approach to deployment is essential. This allowed us to incorporate passive provision, catering to future demand and ensuring a sustainable network over the long-term.

Urban Fox’s partnership with Dundee City Council highlights our ability to deliver sustainable, accessible, and reliable EV charging infrastructure.

Backed by Balfour Beatty, our expertise in large-scale projects is evident in the successful rollout of near-home charging solutions across Dundee. As we continue to support local authorities on their journey toward net-zero, our focus remains on providing innovative, high-quality solutions that meet the evolving needs of communities.

For more information on how Urban Fox can support your near-home EV charging infrastructure needs, please get in touch: urbanfox.network/contact