Installing electric vehicle chargepoints in a social housing multi residential complex in Lambeth, London.
Background
Ajai Ahluwalia is a resident at Hillside Gardens Estate, in London Borough of Lambeth, and an enthusiastic supporter of electric vehicles (EVs).
He worked closely with Lambeth Council on the installation of an EV chargepoint in his multi-residential social housing unit. He drives a plug-in hybrid and the nearest chargepoint available is a lamp post chargepoint located around 12 minutes’ walk away. The main challenge was getting convenient access to a chargepoint.
With the construction of new housing on the estate, additional cabling and equipment was installed before the charging solution was identified. This prevented the need for additional groundwork for electrical installation of chargepoints, resulting in reduced cost and time for installing chargepoints.
Competitive offering
London Borough of Lambeth asked for quotes from chargepoint operators for the project. Three suppliers applied and Connected Kerb was chosen. It’s helpful to approach a few suppliers for chargepoint installation to gain a competitive offering.
Increase in EV ownership
The availability of chargepoints has encouraged another two residents to choose an electric vehicle instead of a petrol or diesel vehicle. The estates have reported good usage of the chargepoints, with 1,455 charging sessions and 13,982 kWh of electricity used between October 2020 and January 2022.
With good usage and a rise in demand for charging, Lambeth is now planning to extend the scheme across the borough to other housing estates.
