Real world example of delivering joined up infrastructure using a partnership model
Kent county council’s electric vehicle chargepoint scheme for parish and town councils has used a partnership model to facilitate the installation of a large number of chargepoints in rural communities across Kent.
The scheme aimed to use public buildings to host chargepoints in the creation of a mini semi-rural network in Kent. Publicly owned locations are generally much easier for local authorities to arrange chargepoint installations at than privately owned locations.
Kent wanted to form and develop partnerships with its local authority bodies to support chargepoint access in rural areas.
Kent implemented a financial incentive to support the scheme, returning a portion of money made from chargepoint usage to parish councils. This has helped increase uptake.
The scheme is now operational, with chargepoints available throughout the area.
Having so many locations consolidated into one project, has made engagement with the DNO a very drawn-out process. It has taken considerable time to obtain connection agreement across all the individual sites.
Taking a partnership approach has provided multiple benefits. These include standardising the chargepoint user experience and pricing, as working in partnership made it possible to have all units from a single supplier. This also meant the supplier engagement process for the host sites was more efficient. It is expected that the number of chargepoints in the area will make it easier to ensure appropriate maintenance levels are provided. While there are certainly benefits of having a single supplier, it is also acknowledged that there are risks associated with this approach.
Further detail can be found on the scheme’s website or by contacting electricvehicles@kent.gov.uk
