Project summary
A rapid charging hub designed to be as accessible as possible. The hub is integrated with solar PV canopies, battery storage, and a renewable water solution.
Background
The 4th Hub is an electric vehicle (EV) charging hub on Clepington Road in Dundee. Opened in April 2023 by Dundee City Council, the hub was created to improve EV charging equity and accessibility for drivers.
The council partnered with SWARCO, Urban Foresight and Bluewater to deliver the project. It features innovative accessibility and sustainable technology solutions. These include longer charging cables for greater manoeuvrability and a renewable drinking water system fed by captured rainwater.
The project received funding from the European Regional Development Fund, Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, Transport Scotland, and Dundee City Council. The name comes from the fact that it’s the fourth public rapid charging hub in Dundee. The previous three hubs are Lochee Charging Station in Balgay Street car park, Princes Street Charging Hub on Princes Street, and Queen Street Charging Hub on Queen Street. In addition to these sites, Dundee has three public fast charging hubs located within the Greenmarket, Olympia and Gellatly Street multi-story car parks.
Rationale
Dundee has set a target for 27% of all vehicles in the city to be fully electric by 2027. Hitting this will be a challenge, as more than half of the city’s population doesn’t have access to off-street parking. Facilitating the city’s transition to EVs will require a robust, comprehensive network of public charging infrastructure.
The 4th Hub is a key part of delivering this network. The hub is housed in a repurposed car park on a busy Dundee thoroughfare linking to the A90. It’s close to residential tenement buildings and local hotspots such as the Dundee and Dundee United football club stadiums. Its location makes it convenient for commuters and visitors to access the chargepoints during the day, and nearby residents to charge their vehicles at night.
Project overview
The components of the installation are:
- Six chargepoints: one 150kW and five 50kW DC units.
- A 140kW photovoltaic (PV) solar carport array.
- A battery storage unit.
- A renewable drinking water system with two water filling stations.
Dundee Council’s commitment to sustainability is clear in the hub’s design. The six chargepoints can charge up to 10 vehicles at a time. The solar canopies make sure renewable energy is used to power the chargepoints as much as possible. The battery storage unit is made from lithium batteries taken from old electric vehicles.
The renewable drinking water solution was created in collaboration with Bluewater Group. Rainwater is captured from the canopies, run through a filtration system, and then delivered to two on-site filling stations. These provide free, purified drinking water to people using the hub and other members of the public. The station contains a display screen showing the nearest charging hubs, alongside information on the hub’s usage levels and solar generation.
Ambition
The project was the first to feature SWARCO’s new hub design focused on accessibility to accommodate drivers with disabilities.
A study by Urban Foresight found a high percentage of drivers struggled when faced with a typical fuel station. Despite this, at the time of project sign off, there was an absence of official guidelines and regulations on accessibility standards for EV charging infrastructure. This was further complicated by the range of different chargepoint manufacturers and network operators in this space, many with distinct charge initiation and payment models.
The 4th Hub was designed in consultation with disabled users, charities and manufacturers to limit potential barriers and establish a baseline for EV charging accessibility. BSI PAS 1899:2022 was published in October 2022, creating a model of best practice for chargepoint installers and developers. Where possible, its guidance was considered in the development of the 4th Hub.
The hub’s accessibility features include:
- Longer cables (5.2m) to give wheelchair users greater manoeuvring room while operating the chargepoints.
- Contrasting colour tape on charging cables.
- Larger bay sizes: all are 2400mm by 5000mm, with 1200mm hatching around the perimeter.
- Level access over a smooth tarmac surface between the parking bay and the chargepoint, and to the site. All bollards, kerbs and plinths have been removed.
- Wheel stops preventing vehicles from encroaching on the space between the front of the bays and the chargers.
- Compliance with IET height regulations across all connectors.
- Well-sheltered and well-lit space housing all the charging infrastructure.
Progress so far
The 4th Hub officially opened on 25 April 2023. The project has been highly successful so far, with an average of 239 vehicles charging at the site each day, and 600 visitors each month. Usage has continued to increase, with recorded sessions rising from 1,500 to 2,500 between May and October 2023. Feedback from the community has been positive, especially among disabled drivers, who described the hub as a “very good starting point” for improving the accessibility of EVs.
Dundee Council plans to install more rest areas as the site develops. These will complement the existing picnic bench, located on a grassy area behind the chargepoints.
Challenges faced
The project team experienced long lead times on equipment delivery due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They also faced time constraints to keep to funding deadlines.
As the hub is located on a former car park, the site had to be cleared before development could begin. This involved removing old fuel tanks along with contaminated earth and other materials. This work was more expensive than anticipated, adding to the total cost of the project.
Key lessons learned
The hub at Clepington Road demonstrates Dundee’s commitment to continue the move towards electric vehicles and is a critical step in realising the city’s Climate Action Plan. It benefits local drivers, day-trippers, and people travelling longer distances who can include the hub in their route plan.
The 4th Hub is a critical starting point for making sure charging infrastructure across the UK is as accessible as possible. However, there are still opportunities to expand on this model. This would further improve the process of EV charging for disabled people.
Further information
https://www.drivedundeeelectric.co.uk/
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