Skip to main content

First eVolt charge point installed for Electric Nation

The first eVolt smart electric vehicle (EV) charge point has been installed at a residential property outside Nottingham for the Electric Nation trial, which is seeking to find a smart charging solution that will better manage local level power distribution at peak times. According to eVolt, the eMobility brand of the Swarco Group, research suggests that some of the UK’s local electricity networks will need intervention to enable motorists to charge EVs at home at peak times. It indicates that at least U
March 13, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The first eVolt smart electric vehicle (EV) charge point has been installed at a residential property outside Nottingham for the Electric Nation trial, which is seeking to find a smart charging solution that will better manage local level power distribution at peak times.

According to eVolt, the eMobility brand of the 129 Swarco Group, research suggests that some of the UK’s local electricity networks will need intervention to enable motorists to charge EVs at home at peak times. It indicates that at least US$2.7 billion (£2.2 billion) would be needed for local electricity infrastructure upgrades.

The Electric Nation project is funded by Western Power Distribution (WPD) and Network Innovation Allowance, providing new electric car owners with a free smart charger. In return, the project will have access to charging data to help electricity distribution companies better manage electric vehicle charging.

The trial is seeking 500 to 700 members of the public to install a smart charge point on an ongoing basis to accurately measure charging levels, and eVolt, which is the eMobility brand of the Swarco Group, is providing half of the trial’s chargers. All smart charging units are subsidised by OLEV eligible households are initially required to be within the bounds of WPD (South West, South Wales, and the Midlands.) OLEV grants are only available to people with an EV who have not previously received OLEV funding for a charge point for that vehicle.

Related Content

  • November 22, 2012
    Denmark expands EV charging infrastructure
    Denmark’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure is to be expanded with the installation of fifty smart DC fast chargers. Electric mobility operator Clever has chosen power and automation technology group ABB to supply and maintain the fast chargers throughout Denmark. The companies say the ABB Terra 51 chargers, which are to be installed at strategic locations in the country, are ideally suited for freeway driving and has the capacity to fast charge electric vehicles in a matter of thirty minutes.
  • September 26, 2012
    Milton Keynes to trial wirelessly charged electric buses
    In an initiative to enable the quieter, cleaner future of public transport in Milton Keynes, UK, eight organisations led by a subsidiary of Mitsui Europe ("Mitsui") have agreed a five-year collaboration committing to the replacement of diesel buses with their all-electric counterparts on one of the main bus routes in the city by summer 2013. The trial, which could reduce bus running costs by between US$19,500 and US$23,000 per year, is a partnership between Mitsui subsidiary eFleet Integrated Service, Milto
  • March 22, 2016
    Government competition winners will use F1 technology to design greener cars
    Formula 1 technology could soon make family cars lighter, improve fuel efficiency and help plug-in vehicles go further - after an innovative research project won a share of a US$54.6 million (£38.2 million) UK government prize. The project is one of more than 130 car manufacturers, technology companies and research centres across the country to have won a share of the money, announced in the Budget, which will create hi-tech jobs and help Britain become a global leader in exporting state of the art, emis
  • June 4, 2018
    Whim launch in Birmingham: new day dawning
    MaaS Global’s Whim mobility service is expanding with its first launch outside Finland – and has chosen the UK’s second city as its base. Adam Hill reports from Birmingham