Surrey County Council and Connected Kerb, an EV charge point provider, have announced a partnership that will result in the largest deployment of EV chargers by a local authority in the UK. Under this partnership, Connected Kerb will install 10,000 new public chargers across Surrey by 2030. The rollout will see Connected Kerb install their on-street charge points at over 1,500 locations across streets and public car parks in the county. This initiative will increase the number of EV chargers dramatically, with one charger per 9,000 residents in Surrey, and is expected to deliver over 5,000 fast charging points by 2027, including over 500 across the county.
Matt Furniss, Cabinet Member for Transport, Infrastructure and Growth, Surrey County Council, stated that the council has worked with Connected Kerb before, and that this contract will enable the council to expand its network of charge points and speed up the installation process to provide services to residents faster. The investment for this initiative will come from Connected Kerb, which will release up to £60 million to fund the project. Other funding options, such as central government grants, are also available to make such projects feasible.
Connected Kerb’s CEO, Chris Pateman-Jones, highlighted the significance of the project, stating that the recent Net Zero Review was clear, and that this project will deliver a significant boost to the UK’s charging network. Connected Kerb’s entire product range will be used for the rollout in Surrey, including 7kW and 22kW Gecko chargers, Chameleon chargers for on-street and car parks, the wall-mounted Limpet, and the Scarab throughout housing developments. This partnership follows a £110 million investment from Aviva Investors in Connected Kerb to deliver 190,000 charge points before 2030, which the company claims is 63% of the UK government’s 300,000 chargepoint estimates.
In conclusion, the partnership between Surrey County Council and Connected Kerb is a significant step towards increasing the number of EV chargers in the UK. This project will have a positive impact on the environment, encouraging more people to switch to EVs and promoting sustainable transportation. With the UK government’s push towards a net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050, it is crucial to invest in projects like this to help achieve this goal.
