FINAL GPSJ Summer edition 2024 ONLINE VERSION.2pdf - Flipbook - Page 20
GPSJ
EV & CHARGING
Believ and Waltham Forest lead
the charge for accessible charge
point infrastructure
Two London boroughs will pilot charge points specifically designed for disabled residents
Charge point operator (CPO)
Believ and Waltham Forest
Council are joining forces to
bring more accessible electric
vehicle (EV) charge points
to hundreds of residents,
including disabled people,
across East London.
The East London Local Electric
Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funded
pilot, led by Waltham Forest Council
(along with one other East London
borough council), is designed to
support disabled people who may
find that impractical or inaccessible
charging bays are a barrier to EV
adoption.
The innovative project will see
the rollout of 120 fast (22kW)
20
charge point sockets across both
London boroughs, with 30% of
support coming from Office for Zero
Emission Vehicles’ (OZEV) LEVI Pilot
scheme and the remaining 70%
funded by the CPO Believ.
The new charging bays
have been designed through a
collaborative workshop involving
multiple stakeholders, including
representatives from Motability
Operations, the company who
deliver the Motability Scheme to
over 750,000 disabled people
across the UK, and a number
of public and private sector
organisations. These organisations
have all worked together to design
best practice charging bays with
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL SUMMER 2024
improved accessibility. The new
charging bays will include wider
hatched areas between the
charging bays and dropped kerbs
to ensure a step-free route to a
charge point from a vehicle.
The Energy Saving Trust have
published a report confirming that
the built environment around charge
points has been identified as an
area of concern for certain disabled
consumers, specifically those with
mobility and dexterity disabilities. To
support with site selection for the
charge points, anonymised data
from customers on the Motability
Scheme, supplied through the
Cenex’s National EV Insight and
support (NEVIS) service, has helped
provide input into where the charge
points are proposed to be installed.
“Charge point infrastructure
must be inclusive, and through
collaborations like this we can prove
that we can create a bespoke
network that ensures that no one
is left behind,” says Guy Bartlett,
CEO, Believ.
“We’re incredibly proud to be a
part of this project, particularly to
support residents with disabilities
who have felt the industry has
been too slow in addressing their
needs. This is a perfect example of
how the private and public sector
can partner to deliver innovative
solutions for those who need it
most.”