The Wichelstowe Project is Swindon’s new 3000-home development, and is entirely future-proofed for the mass uptake of electric vehicles.
Preparing For The Future, While Delivering For The Present
We aim to make electric vehicle infrastructure affordable, sustainable and accessible to all. Doing so in a way that minimises disruption to residents is also of paramount importance to us, whether it is a new or existing development.
One such example is the Wichelstowe Project.
The Wichelstowe Project Overview
The Wichelstowe project is a joint venture between Swindon Borough Council and Barratt Developments that will see over 3,000 new homes, alongside schools and retail/commercial facilities built over the next 20 years.
The project team have come together with Connected Kerb , one of the UK's leading providers of EV charging infrastructure solutions – to deploy electric vehicle charging points across the development that aims to actively support resident transition to greener mobility.
The Challenge: Future-Proofing The Development For The Uptake Of Electric Vehicles
The project team’s strong focus on environmental stewardship drove them to explore how they could support future residents in harbouring a more sustainable lifestyle. Central to these aspirations was a desire to make the whole development charged and ready for the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs).
The development needed a solution that was flexible to both rising demand and new technologies; one that facilitated the deployment of a small number of EV charging points immediately, but also offered the ability to increase this number over time, in line with demand.
Future installations would need to be completed with no additional construction, minimal disruption to residents and, crucially, allow residents with spaces in courtyards or off-plot to access chargers.
The Solution: Installing EV Charging Infrastructure In Visitor And Off-Plot Parking Bays To Provide Comprehensive Coverage
The first phase of the project saw the installation of enabling infrastructure for over 130 EV charging points.
An initial 20 active charging sockets were deployed in shared and visitor parking bays. The decision to include shared bays from the outset opened up opportunities to promote the crucial role electric vehicles hold in promoting sustainable transport choices, and allowed an element of Section 106 funding, set aside for this purpose, to be allocated to the scheme.
The unique design of the Connected Kerb solution allows for enabling charging infrastructure (nodes and ducting) to be installed below ground during the construction phase of the development, barely visible once footpaths and streets have been laid.
Then, as demand from residents increases, an intelligent EV charging unit – consisting of an above-ground socket and below-ground smart controller – can be installed. This process takes less than an hour to install each EV charging point into the pre-existing, enabling below-ground infrastructure.
Offering more than solely EV charging, Connected Kerb’s system also supports future technologies such Internet of Things devices and sensors that manage air quality or traffic and these can be added with ease to new developments.
All EV charging points across shared and dedicated spaces are operated through Connected Kerb’s intelligent software, in partnership with the estate management company. The system has smart capabilities, meaning it can differentiate between users and efficiently load manage across all chargers to minimise impact on the electricity grid – critical for a deployment of this scale.
At A Glance: Installing Ev Infrastructure And Charging Points
- Enablement - During the construction phase of the development, the below-ground base infrastructure for charging points is installed. This is ‘enabling deployment’ and prepares for the installation of charging points.
- Activation - An initial number of EV charging points are installed - the ‘active deployment’ after the base infrastructure has been deployed. Home buyers are made aware that this development is EV-ready and informed of how to request a charging point for their dedicated parking bay. Wichelstowe is also ready to meet Swindon Borough Council’s emerging standards, which require developers to provide EV chargers in new homes.
- On-going scheme expansion - Resident requests for charging points can be built into the developer’s sales process. With the base infrastructure in place at the outset, minimal work is required to add charging points as demand increases across the development.
- Added value - Connected Kerb is also able to offer EV lease deals and preferential electricity tariffs to incentivise the switch to electric vehicles.
Preparing For The Arrival Of Electric Vehicles
In the quest for mass transition to clean mobility, collaboration is key. The Wichelstowe Project’s cross-sector collaboration between council, developer and tech company is an example of a holistic approach to delivering for the present, while preparing for the future.
It is an exemplary project that, if replicated at scale, would propel the UK to the forefront of global efforts in reducing the devastating effects of climate change – helping to achieve a more sustainable future for generations to come.
Connected Kerb are committed to supporting projects and increasing the number of opportunities for electric vehicle owners, and developments like the Wichelstowe Project offers home and business owners the chance to move to more sustainable electric vehicles. To find out more about what we can do, contact our team today.