UK Smart Street Charging launched

The Government has launched a Smart Street Charging scheme where On Street chargers can be charged to the user in a similar way as a Home electricity tariff, such as Octopus Agile, to get the best overnight rates.

Four regions of the UK will take part in a world-leading scheme to demonstrate how smart technology can be integrated into public EV chargers across the UK, to support the green energy revolution and collectively save consumers millions of pounds in the process. Shropshire was chosen as one of the regions due to the reported high demand for public EV charging points from locals.

Drivers to save hundreds of pounds as UK-first electric vehicle smart charging scheme comes to Shropshire – Shropshire.gov.uk – August 2021

40% of UK households without off-street parking have to rely on the public charging network to charge EVs, which at present is usually more expensive than charging on a driveway.

Unlike those who can charge at home, drivers without off-street parking cannot benefit from smart energy tariffs which shave hundreds of pounds off the cost of charging every year. This creates significant inequality between road users, as outlined in a report commissioned by the UK Government.

Now, a UK-first government-backed project – Agile Streets – will address this challenge. In Shropshire, the project will see 24 on-street smart chargers installed by Connected Kerb and will be the first in the UK to integrate smart metering technology into public on-street chargers. This cuts the cost of EV charging by as much as 40% for people who don’t have driveways – Drivers will simply download an app to charge as they go.

Drivers to save hundreds of pounds as UK-first electric vehicle smart charging scheme comes to Shropshire – Shropshire.gov.uk – August 202

For more information see the Agile Streets programme.