Four Local Councils Leading The Way in EV Infrastructure

According to the latest from industry publication Fleet News, fleet and business registrations are dominating the new electric car market, with the latest sales figures showing a 59% market share.

And whilst this is hardly surprising given the UK government’s push for electrification in time first for 2030 deadlines, and now 2035, it has meant that many public sector organisations have found themselves at the forefront of the UK’s EV transition.

In this article, we’re looking to celebrate some of these innovators in public sector EV charging, and highlight the biggest success stories in the industry so far.

Back in 2022, when most councils were still yet to outline an EV strategy, Carmarthenshire Council released its EV mission statement:

“To develop and promote a network of electric charging points, that provides for and encourages future growth in EV use, and in doing so future proofs our transport network and contributes to local and global pollution reduction targets.”

Since then, and throughout its time using Clenergy EV to manage its charge points since June 2020, the council has delivered on this by saving 130,000kg in carbon emissions through the rollout of its 43-charger public network.

Driven by the passion of its Transport Planner Thomas Evans, the council has benefited from its relatively early rollout to deliver a solid infrastructure base to build upon, which it plans to do using data provided by our CPMS to pinpoint high-demand locations.

For more on the challenges Carmarthenshire Council faced in its public EV rollout, and how it’s achieved such fantastic results so far, keep an eye on our social media channels where we’ll be publishing a full case study into its EV charging soon. 

Pembrokeshire Council made headlines recently for being considered in the top 20% of local authorities for public EV charging in the UK right now.

A huge achievement in itself, it was also cited as the number one authority in Wales for public EV charging, thanks to its network of 172 public charging points as of July 2023.

As an authority partnered with Dragon Charging, the council’s public users gain access access not only to the charging provider’s sites across Wales, but also to all charging stations on the wider Clenergy EV platform. This includes over 300,000 across the UK and Europe.

All chargers run by the council currently offer a 24/7 customer service network to answer any driver queries, despite Government guidelines dictating that this doesn’t need to be in place until 2024.

When it comes to local authorities leading the way with EV infrastructure delivery, it’s hard to leave out Coventry City Council.

Another early adopter to the EV rollout, the council implemented a plan back in 2021 to deliver over 400 publicly available charging points by 2023, and has over-delivered with the second highest number of public charge points available of all UK cities.

Coventry Council teamed up with EV industry experts to deliver its own charging network under the ‘Plug In Coventry’ name, which included innovative schemes for businesses including the coverage of the full cost of charge point installation and a promise of retaining 90% of revenue from charging.

The council also made use of EV charging grants in the delivery of workplace charging, which helped aid fleet transitions across the area. These funding sources can be vital in getting charge points in the ground, and even in circumstances where they only apply to internal organisation vehicles, getting more people driving EVs is a sure-fire way to dispel any preconceptions, with EV drivers citing a 94% approval rate.

We covered each grant available to local authorities and businesses in our charging guide here.

Having made news back in 2022 for opening what was, at the time, considered the most powerful charging hub in Europe (with 42 ultra-rapid chargers), the council hasn’t been stingy in holding onto its EV knowledge.

Creating the Oxford DPS procurement framework, the council has provided other local authorities with a pre-approved list of reliable and trusted suppliers in the EV charging ecosystem. Each of these would have passed through its guidelines, to help ensure tenders are won by those with the expertise and experience to carry out successful EV projects. 

At Clenegy EV, we’re proud to be an approved company via this framework.

We also believe that the sharing of knowledge across what is currently a relatively nascent industry is essential to delivering a fair, easy, and accessible charging infrastructure for all.

That makes this kind of collaborative approach all the more important, and definitely worthy of praise in our eyes!

EV Charging Software: The Secret Tool for a Smooth Transition

In achieving the success touched on in this article, local councils ahead in their transition have had to tackle some key challenges that are cropping up across the industry at the time of writing.

And in a nascent industry, a lot of were reliant on the expertise of established partners to help achieve their EV transition goals. 

At Clenergy EV, we advocate a software-first approach that makes sure you’re partnering with a provider that can provide the flexibility and support to facilitate your EV charging rollout.

To find out more about how EV software makes EV transitioning smoother and easier for fleets, read our case studies with industry leaders, as well as blogs such as this one which break down the key considerations for charge point operators if you’re interested in opening up your chargers for public use to help bolster availability and recoup costs.

Alternatively, you can contact our team for a low-commitment consultation on what our software can do for you by filling the form below: