Public Funding for Urban Electric Networks Ltd

The operability between EV charging networks is a well-known issue with public charging infrastructure. With over 50 networks in the UK alone, it can be time-consuming and confusing for EV drivers to use multiple smartphone apps or RFID cards across multiple networks to be able to charge wherever they want. Therefore, our project will see the delivery of an innovative software solution that integrates with on-site hardware solutions, current CPMS systems, and a personal Bluetooth device to provide the user with a seamless, simple, and consistent charging experience across multiple charging networks. This means that the user will only need to have a single smartphone app to charge anywhere they want. With a parking sensor that will identify the vehicle's location and a notification prompt identifying that charger, it will make charging an EV at a public chargepoint easier than ever. The journey below identifies the end goal for the project. 1. _EV driver registers debit/credit card to create an account,_ 2. _EV driver pulls into an EV charging space to charge,_ 3. _Parking sensors will detect a vehicle/EV driver at 'Chargepoint X and Socket Y'_ 4. _EV driver is automatically sent a notification to ask them if they'd like to charge: "Would you like to charge at Chargepoint X and Socket Y? Click Yes to confirm"_ 5. _If the EV driver selects "Yes", the chargepoint and socket will wake up (or rise out of the ground as may be the case for pop-up chargers)_ 6. _EV driver simply plugs in and walks away._ At the end of the session, the user simply unplugs and drives off. His/her account is automatically billed In future, EV drivers will be able to check if a bay is empty before driving to the chargepoint and to pre-book a charging session (outside the scope of this project).

Urban Electric Networks Ltd (t/a Urban Electric) (UE) is a 3-year old pre-revenue startup voted #6 European Cleantech Startup Of The Year 2018, GreenFleet Industry Innovation of the Year 2019, and has benefitted from circa £5M in total project funding for R&D, product development, prototyping and demonstrator trials with Oxford, Dundee and Plymouth City Councils. The company, led by a team of highly experienced EV charging industry experts, is targeting the on-street electric vehicle (EV) charging segment, where 30-43% of UK households have no off-street parking, meaning ~10 million UK EVs will need to charge on-street in residential areas and more than 10x this number in European cities. The UEone is a dual socket app operated 'pop-up' charge point designed primarily for overnight on-street charging in residential and city centre streets that retracts fully underground when not in use, leaving pavements obstruction and street clutter free. It is the only scalable on-street charging solution for residential streets and urban centres because it is: the only flat and flush pavement charging solution that does not require special equipment such as lances and which meets inclusive mobility guidelines; deployable as multi-bay EV Only charging hubs, providing certainty of availability to EV drivers; defensible, with two patents pending for major global markets. This project will enable the following activities, which have been not possible to undertake due to delays arising from COVID-19: Further product development and refinement of the UEone charge point and app with new IP if applicable; Design for Manufacturing / cost engineering the UEone ready for mass production (for UK and export markets); Collaborate with partners to demonstrate the commercial viability of the UEone "Own and Operate" business model through the deployment of up to 5 charging hubs; Optimise the pricing model for best value for electric vehicle users / achieving respectable IRR. Explore the viability of alternative revenue streams in order to minimise the impact of utilisation risk for investors at this stage of EV adoption.

This project builds on two previous IUK projects to further develop the unique UEone pop-up charge point, designed to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption in urban areas by solving the problem of charging for the 43% of UK households without off-street parking for charging, vital for The Department for Transport to achieve the objectives set out in the 'Road to Zero' strategy. Learnings from current trials in Dundee and Plymouth indicate that if the UEone could be developed to operate on sloping streets as well as flat or nearly flat streets, then it is estimated that this could double the number of hubs that could be deployed and accelerate the rollout of infrastructure in dozens of towns and cities across the UK. As market adoption of EVs begins to accelerate in the UK, it is projected that the UK's current public infrastructure total of 33,000 chargepoints needs to be expanded to over 500,000 chargepoints by 2030, to serve what is estimated could be 11 million plug-in electric vehicles. It is essential therefore, that all charging use cases are developed. And with 130 million on-street parking spaces in Europe (Qpark) there is strong export potential. Globally, the global electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure market, is estimated to be as high as $2.7 trillion to facilitate EV adoption by 2040 (Morgan Stanley). This project therefore is to take our innovative further by designing, prototyping, testing and costing for manufacturing a modified version of the UEone that will achieve this goal.

no public description

Our feasibility study showed that a) councils need both information and guidance, and a new type of charging architecture if they are to support electric vehicle (EV) charging in public places at-scale; b) on-street public charging is possible with a flexible and context-specific "toolkit" approach with "pop-up" EV chargers integrated with smart parking; and c) a majority of councils do not have the financial resources or desire to fund EV infrastructure at scale. The study identified that: A 'flat and flush' charging infrastructure solution which both avoids street clutter and obstructions when not in use and integrates EVSE into the streetscape is an extremely attractive on-street solution for both councils and pavement users. This solution is suitable for both residential and public/visitor parking. The development of smart city system within system solutions - integrating charging into parking apps - will significantly improve customer experience. Feeder pillars integrated into street furniture has potential and will be prototyped in Phase 2. Councils have insufficient funding to cope with the forecast demand for urban charging, particularly 'at home' on-street charging, so a fully self-funded solution is required . Councils can be incentivised with a revenue share model that at 50% chargepoint utilisation will double the revenues from parking alone. Our demonstrator will prove that, supported through an integrated parking and charging policy, pop-up chargers can offer a driver-friendly, aesthetically pleasing and rapidly scalable means of providing on-street charging for the 50% of cars that are parked on-street at night in our cities - without the need for public sector funding contribution post-demonstrator. The demonstrator will consist of up to 18 hubs deployed with two different councils for a 9-12 month period. Hubs will be mainly installed in residential and public streets with on-street parking and will consist of 3 to 6 chargepoints in each hub that will result in a patent-protected solution ready for commercial deployment. To reduce costs and improve the user experience, the solution is to be developed as an app-operated dual socket featuring tap and pay. The Phase 2 project will also demonstrate other elements of the Toolkit plus the viability of the Toolkit itself. We will trial the Toolkit as a decision making and strategy generation tool in the context of a variety of different councils. We will also run a design challenge to prototype the most innovative approaches to integrating EVSE within the cityscape.

"**The UK government has banned the sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles from 2040, and is targeting up to 40% of new van sales to be zero emission by 2030, yet with 4M vans on UK roads, and total van mileage increasing due to internet shopping, currently only 0.3% of new van sales are electric.** With cities and towns also looking to address air quality through the introduction of low, zero emission and clean air zones and stricter emission standards (WLTP), **commercial fleets are under pressure to introduce low emission vehicles, such as electric vehicles (EVs), to minimise the impact on their business**. **However many commercial fleet operators remain wedded to diesel or are hesitant to adopt EVs at scale**, as a result of conflicting government, industry and media reports, waiting for price reductions, and range, residual value and public charging infrastructure improvements. **The purpose of this feasibility study and subsequent phase 2 demonstrator is to showcase an innovative and viable, wireless EV charging solution, the UEtwo, with real word benefits for commercial fleets**. By minimising the business disruption EVs can pose, we aim to give commercial fleet managers the confidence to accelerate the move to EVs than would otherwise be the case."

"Our project will meet the challenge of providing low-cost charging solutions at scale for electric vehicle users without access to off-street parking. Recognising that 87% of EV drivers want to charge 'at home' and that 30% - 43% of UK households have no access to off-street parking for charging, we believe that, although there is an important role for public charging facilities such as EV hubs, the only fully scalable solution involves providing affordable, dependable, smart grid enabled on-street Electric Vehicle Supporting Equipment (EVSE). Furthermore, we believe that to be successful it is vital that this equipment has a neutral or positive impact on the urban streetscape. To this end, the project partners, Urban Foresight, Urban Electric Networks, Lucy Zodion and Dundee City Council will create a ""Clean Street"" EVSE Toolkit for use by local authorities and their delivery agents. The Toolkit will use a combination of technology and design approaches for deploying on-street charging for town and city residents, businesses and visitors in a way that minimises impacts on accessibility, functionality and the look-and-feel of city streets. It will deliver a clear methodology for application in the context of a particular location, providing a set of practical guidelines, design criteria, and specifications in the framework of a sustainable investment model. Phase 1 of the project will consider the key elements of the toolkit will consist, namely: ? In-ground and aesthetically designed EV chargers with integrated feeder pillars that minimise the impact of on-street EVSE. Our project builds on Urban Electric Networks' successful UEone Innovate UK-funded pop-up charger trials in Oxford; ? In-ground parking sensors that, through a user-friendly guidance and payment app enable EV drivers to know in advance whether an on-street parking and charging space is available, building on over 500 Bluetooth Low Energy sensors in on-street parking bays, to be deployed throughout Dundee over the next 18 months; ? Design tools and options for integrating EVSE functionally and aesthetically into a variety of city streetscapes, e.g. residential, commercial, tourist; ? A Special Purpose Vehicle financial model that incentivises and rewards local authorities for the creation of on-street parking and charging facilities, without monopolising parking spaces for EVs. The project will focus on initial deployment in Dundee, the ideal location to test feasibility and demonstrate the solution due to both its internationally recognised leadership in EV deployment and its position as the UK's only UNESCO City of Design."

"The electric car (EV) market is reaching an inflection point, however there is an unsolved barrier to EV adoption. In the UK approximately 43% of households (rising to 85% in some London boroughs) are unable to switch to an EV because they have no off-street parking for charging. Therefore there is no certainty of at-home (predominantly overnight) charging, relied upon by EV users today for 90% of all charging. **The lack of at-home charging for residents with only access to on- street parking affects up to 11.6 million households in the UK alone. This will severely limit the scope for future implementation of government policy to encourage the uptake of EVs.** **Urban Electric solves the problem of residential on-street charging by introducing a unique retractable pavement charging bollard that provides discreet, affordable, residential on-street ""smart grid"" ready charging at scale, the first company to do so.**"