Pioneering on-street charging innovation in Staffordshire County

Context

Urban Fox collaborated with Staffordshire County Council (SCC) to develop and pilot the 3rd iteration of our UEone – a 7kW, dual socket, retractable, kerbside chargepoint, in off-street car parks.

This initiative was part of the SIMULATE Adept Live Labs project, where we beat more than 110 entries and secured an 18-month project funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).

Staffordshire County is in the West Midlands region of England and with a diverse population and a growing focus on sustainability, the county was actively exploring ways to transition towards greener and more environmentally friendly practices.

The EV charging hub was located at Holmcroft Library in Stafford, in a residential area and played a significant role in the county’s efforts to embrace electric mobility and contribute to a more sustainable future.

A comprehensive approach to development and collaboration

The project encompassed various phases, including 12 months of product development, site selection and power infrastructure provision, followed by installation and ongoing operation and maintenance during a 6-month pilot period. The hub achieved an impressive 100% average network uptime which resulted in SCC requesting a further 3-month pilot extension due to its success.

We contracted grid connections, bay markings and civils and electrical works to Amey, a leading provider of engineering, operations and decarbonisation solutions. Amey was also the SIMULATE Adept Live Labs sponsor and project manager and was keen to learn more about on-street EV charging infrastructure.

All sub-contracted work was carried out by a local workforce and overseen by us, so we had the opportunity to establish a great working relationship with the company, whilst collaborating to help electrify Staffordshire County.

Urban Electric’s pilot for the SIMULATE Adept Live Labs project with Staffordshire County Council and Amey demonstrated the potential of their retractable charging hub charging solution, with utilisation in excess of 20% and network uptime of 100% throughout the trial period. Numerous local residents took advantage of the hubs and the innovative approach and unique infrastructure was welcomed in the community.

Jake Harrison, Innovation Business Partner, Transport Infrastructure, Amey