Currently, over 95% of electric vehicle (EV) charging is done through private home chargers at off-street locations such as driveways and garages. Off-street charging is convenient as cars are typically parked outside the owner's house and can charge up overnight. It is also cheap because of benefits from a domestic electricity supply that, with flexible tariffs, can cost as little as 5p/kWh during off-peak periods. By comparison, EV drivers without off-street parking must use publicly available chargers typically costing more than 30p/kWh. While in some cases it is easy to incorporate public charging into daily routines, for most people this remains a significant barrier to EV adoption. Trojan Energy are developing new chargepoint technology as part of the DoorSTEP project to address this problem. Their system will allow anyone who usually parks on-street to install their own chargepoint in front of their house, connected to their domestic electricity supply. The charging technology is installed below the pavement, with a flat and flush connector which the user connects to their car with a Trojan 'lance'. The lance is removed when charging is complete, so no clutter is left in the street when the car is not charging. Anyone with a lance could connect to the system, so the owner can choose to make the chargepoint accessible to friends, family, and members of the public. Owners can participate in a digital marketplace, setting the price at a level that is competitive with other public alternatives. As a result, the owner can recover the cost of the installation over time and everyone else benefits from access to low-cost convenient charging close to their home. Local authorities across the UK recognise the need for this solution to ensure that charging is available to those without off-street parking. Many have declared climate emergencies and are working hard to ensure sufficient charging availability as EVs are adopted more widely. As part of these efforts, Brent and Oxfordshire councils have agreed to partner with Trojan to develop the DoorSTEP technology. East Lothian will act as an associate partner. The technology will be trialled outside several homes and businesses across the two partner councils, to assist with development of the technology and to create and implement effective planning procedures for installing privately owned charging infrastructure on public pavements. This will allow the technology to become a mass market product that can be rolled out across the country.

EV adoption is crucial for the UK to meet climate targets and tackle air pollution. Battery costs and consumer acceptance are improving, but a remaining barrier inhibiting rapid EV uptake is lack of public recharging infrastructure. A substantial 8m vehicle owners in the UK don't have access to off-street parking and therefore cannot charge an EV at home. There are several approaches to this problem, however each has drawbacks: Standalone on-street chargepoint -- often inconveniently located, expensive, and presents access issues due to bulky equipment Lamppost charging -- cheap but limited to lampposts close to the road. Power restricted to 2-5kW. Wire trenches -- slotting cable in pavement between chargepoint in home and car. Needs users parked directly outside their house Pop-up and wireless charging -- in early stages of development Rapid charge hubs -- no evidence yet that this is a solution for residents The Trojan Energy system however, presents a novel, cost-effective solution to the lack of on-street chargepoints. It involves a flush connection, where the chargepoint is slotted into the ground, resulting in no permanent street clutter on the pavement edge. To charge an EV, the user inserts the 'lance' into the connector, and the other end plugs into the car. The STEP Phase 1 study successfully proved the feasibility of these chargepoints. There is substantial demand for the commercially viable product: ~90% of workshop attendees said they wanted the technology installed outside their home, and the majority of survey respondents said the solution would help overcome the barrier of lack of public charging. Additionally, local authorities have confidence in the technology, particularly as it is scalable and helps to relieve parking pressure within boroughs. The Phase 2 trial will demonstrate the charging system in a real-life environment. Entire streets within Brent and Camden will be fitted with the technology -- connectors will be placed about 5m apart, allowing residents to charge regardless of where they park. Several users have already expressed interest in the technology, and Octopus Energy will also recruit some of their home energy and EV customers. Furthermore, as 15 connectors can run in parallel, requiring only one grid connection, costs can be reduced, and effective grid management can be enabled. Chargepoints and vehicles will be monitored in the trial, to gain information on charging behaviour and to substantiate potential revenue from grid services, an important aspect for distribution network operators (DNOs).

"Significant EV adoption is crucial for the UK to meet its climate targets and tackle air pollution in cities. Battery costs and consumer acceptance are improving, but one of the remaining barriers inhibiting rapid uptake of EVs is lack of public recharging infrastructure. A substantial 8 million vehicle owners in the UK today do not have access to off-street parking and therefore cannot charge an EV at home. There are several approaches to this problem, however each have drawbacks: * Standalone on-street chargepoint - often inconveniently located (i.e. not targeted at residents), expensive, and bulky equipment presents access issues * Lamppost charging - cheap but limited to lampposts close to the road (or cables have to cross pavements, be fed underneath or slotted into trenches). Power restricted to 2-5kW * Wire trenches - slotting cable in the pavement between chargepoint in home and car. Needs users parked directly outside their house, which can't be guaranteed * Pop-up and wireless charging - in early stages of development * Rapid charge hubs - no evidence yet that this is a solution for residents The Trojan Energy system however, presents a novel, cost-effective solution to the lack of on-street chargepoints. It involves a flush connection, where the chargepoint is slotted into the ground, resulting in no permanent footprint or street clutter - there is only equipment on the street when the vehicle is charging. To charge an EV, the user inserts the 'lance' (which is stored in the vehicle) into the connector, and the other end plugs into the car. Trojan plans on fitting entire streets with the technology, with each connector placed about 5m apart, so that no matter where a consumer parks on the street, they will be able to charge their EV. Another advantage is that 20 connectors can run in parallel, requiring only one grid connection, which reduces costs and enables more effective grid management. In order for the technology to be successfully implemented, it first needs to: be tested and trialled; incorporate feedback from industry experts and potential users into the design; and a viable business model needs to be developed. This project involves the study of these aspects, as well as other commercial, user, urban and technical feasibility aspects, including appropriate certification methods. Outputs of the study will be used to develop the plan for the demonstrator trial, which will then prove viability of the system in real life."