Some 525 charge points will be deployed in each borough by Ubitricity, a wholly owned Shell subsidiary and a leading charge point operator in the UK with a network of more than 7,000 public charge points.
Under the terms of the deal, Ubitricity, will install and maintain the public charging infrastructure, meaning drivers will be able to use a new network of 5kW lamppost chargers and pay using their debit or credit card, or by using the Shell Recharge app. The charge points, installed directly into existing street lampposts, charge at a speed of up to 5kW and take less than two hours to install. The rollout is planned for key residential and commercial locations, allowing residents easy access to on-street charging facilities. The councils have asked residents to suggest charge point installation locations, and these can be submitted through websites.
Ubitricity’s work with Richmond and Wandsworth Councils builds upon its proven track record of successful partnerships with other local councils. The roll-out compliments the existing charging infrastructure within Richmond and Wandsworth and is planned for residential communities where the majority of residents park on streets with no access to off-street parking. This will allow residents to easily charge hybrid and electric vehicles on the street where they live. A lack of accessible public EV charging points is a common barrier to EV adoption, and the installation of these charge points helps moves Richmond and Wandsworth closer to achieving its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030 and carbon zero by 2050.
The agreement has been procured through the On-street Residential Charge point Scheme (ORCS), a UK government grant funding for local authorities to install residential on-street charge points. The scheme aims to improve the availability of local EV charging infrastructure for residents without off-street (private) parking. Through ORCS funding, local authorities can receive a grant covering up to 60% of residential charge point procurement and installation costs.
