Stirling resident steers council towards EV charging solution

Considering switching to an electric car, but with no access to off-road parking, Stirling resident Stephen Gordon turned to Google and came across the pavement-channel solution offered by EV charging specialists Kerbo Charge.

Stephen (pictured below) took his findings to Stirling council who turned out to be quite enthusiastic about finding solutions that might help residents to make the switch.

The result is a trial of the Kerbo Charge system which began this week – the first of its kind in Scotland.

Stephen said: ‘Stirling council is very forward thinking with roadside charging and with the Kerbo Charge channel install, other councils will have to follow suit to keep up. I’m really happy with the result, it looks perfect and you definitely don’t notice it on the pavement.’

The Kerbo Charge system – which recently won backing from Deborah Meaden on Dragon’s Den – involves a channel being cut into the pavement outside homes, allowing residents to charge their EVs on the street from their own supply. They simply insert their charging cable and the specially designed self-closing lid closes behind just like a zip.

This solution removes the risk of trips and falls from charging cables trailing across footways and the slim and shallow channel seamlessly integrates with the pavement surface, minimising disruption to existing infrastructure. As the channel is made from PVC, it also boasts a significantly lower carbon footprint than metal alternatives.

According to the latest Zap Map data, there is currently no financial benefit in switching to electric if you can’t charge at home. A resident that can charge at home pays on average £680 per year to charge their car, as opposed to £1,820 for someone reliant on public chargers. Driving a petrol car instead would cost £1,470 per year.

Given that around 40% of UK households can only park on the street,  the cost of public charging creates a major barrier to EV adoption.

Kerbo Charge Co-founder, Michael Goulden said: ‘Thousands of residents across Scotland are ready to move to electric, but only when they can charge at home. We hope councils across Scotland will follow Stirling’s lead and make these available for their residents. We want to highlight that they are 100% privately funded with no cost to the taxpayer.’