Electric Vehicle Charger, Isle of Wight installed by Joju Charging

Leading the charge on the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight Council are aiming to achieve net zero goals for their own operations by 2030, and net zero emissions across the island by 2040. Encouraging the move to electric vehicles, and the supporting EV charging infrastructure needed, is a crucial part of this. The Isle wants to cater for the growing number of residents switching to electric, as well as for visiting EV drivers in this popular tourist destination.

Involving Joju Charging 

The first step for our Joju Charging team was to undertake a comprehensive feasibility study, supporting the Council with the information to decide where EV Charging infrastructure would be placed, what type of infrastructure is needed, and how it can best be funded. There was already a small private charging network around the ferry terminals, and also a limited number of historic chargers needing to be replaced.

Following our study, it was agreed Joju would install in 12 main settlements around the island to get a comprehensive spread of charge point locations, expanding charging coverage significantly. These include Newport, Ryde, Sandown, Cowes/East Cowes, Ventnor, Yarmouth, Freshwater, Shanklin, Wootton Bridge, Seaview and Lake.

The infrastructure

 Altogether there are 33 charge points on the Island, including:

  • Ten previously installed, dual on-street fast chargers

These have been funded by OZEV and Council investment to help meet residential demand. We’ve adopted them, have upgraded some of the units, and are continuing this process.

  • Seven standalone rapids, and 16 dual fast chargers

We introduced our funding partner Mer to the project and these charge points are funded by them and maintained by us. We installed the chargers in public car parks in areas like Newport, Ryde, Shanklin, Sandown, Cowes, and Yarmouth. They’re perfect whether you need a rapid charge to quickly get on the move, a fast charge if you’re visiting local attractions, or for residents needing an overnight charge.

We’re also exploring expansion and additional charging infrastructure on the island.

By popular demand…

The popularity of the sites really has grown and grown. Of all of our charge points on the Mer network, three of the Isle of Wight chargers are regularly in the top 10. That’s in terms of usage in the last 30 days. There are seasonal variations of course, but this just highlights the appetite for EV charging infrastructure on the island.

Joju Charging’s Head of Public Sector Sales, Emma Blades, commented:

“It’s fantastic working with the Isle of Wight team who are committed to developing a robust EV charging infrastructure on the island. There has been some great conversation on local online forums praising the charge points and encouraging visitors to come to the Isle with their electric vehicles. One forum contributor even booked a holiday off the back of a chat about the availability of EV charge points! It definitely makes our Joju Charging team proud to hear that the network is helping to attract visitors to the island as word gets out there.”

Long may the infrastructure expansion continue, and long may it attract visitors to the island, as well as serving EV-driving residents.

Further reading

Joju Charging has won Contractor of the Year at the EVIES three times. Find out about our latest award win.

Discover more of our EV charging case studies.

Find out more about how we work with the public sector.

Breaking new ground with Hammersmith & Fulham

The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) has been focusing on tackling travel, as part of its commitment to “contribute to a safe climate for current and future generations”. The Borough is aiming to become carbon net-zero by 2030 and road transport accounts for 16 per cent of local emissions.

To give residents the confidence to make the switch to electric vehicles, the council wanted to grow their EV charging infrastructure quickly. We were delighted to be awarded the contract to help them realise their ambition of installing 2,000 more on-street charge points by the end of 2022 and beyond that, a charge point on every street in the Borough, where possible.

H&F already had the highest density of charge points anywhere in the UK – but this new commitment certainly moved them up a gear!

New charge points, multi purpose

The lamp post chargers being installed for H&F offer an affordable and convenient charging solution for EV owners with no access to off-street charging facilities of their own. Every home or office is now within 400 metres of a charge point and as the council says, they have the lowest number of residents per available charger.

The charge points have a multi-purpose use in the borough too. Not only are they used by residents without off-street parking to charge their EV’s, the chargers can be used by market stall traders to power their stalls, instead of using generators. There is also an ice cream van in the borough, which can now turn off its diesel engine and plug in its fridges to a clean, quiet energy supply.

Financing the expansion

The new investment was made possible because of the council’s successful bid for central government funding, as well as additional funding through commercial partners, and we look forward to working with H&F to continue the roll-out of their charge points right across the borough.

The reaction

“It’s been great working with Joju Charging as we make Hammersmith & Fulham number one for electric vehicle chargers. Joju have a real understanding of what local authorities require and want.”

Dave Kiteley, Lead Electrical Engineer, Hammersmith & Fulham Team

“By providing the necessary EV infrastructure, we’re empowering residents to make more sustainable travel choices to improve their own health and well-being as well as local air quality.”

Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham

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Find out how on street charging has transformed Portsmouth

Read more about Joju Charging, here

Get in touch with us about your Public Sector EV Charging Infrastructure project

Mahindra – Racing forward with Workplace Charging

 

Mahindra Racing – the ‘Greenest Team in Motorsport’ – is a founding team competing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Formula E is the world’s first, all-electric street racing series and the closest, most competitive, and fastest-growing category in motorsport – but it’s more than just a race on track! It’s also the leading platform to test new technologies, drive development to the production line, and ultimately lead to more electric cars on the road. It helps to alter perceptions and accelerate the switch to electric too, in a bid to counteract the climate crisis and address the effects of air pollution.

Teams with an impeccable pedigree

Mahindra Racing has an impeccable pedigree. The team was crowned 2021’s Climate Champions at the end of the last ABB FIA Formula E season and was the first Formula E team (and only the second motorsport outfit in the world) to receive the top Three-Star FIA Sustainability Accreditation. The team also became the first FIA World Championship entrant to be certified as Net Zero Carbon Footprint from inception, and we were delighted when the business approached our own impeccable team, to help with their workplace charging requirements at their new UK headquarters in Banbury.

Clarifying requirements, technology, and funding

Mahindra wanted to make EV charging available to all staff and visitors, as well as to encourage the uptake of electrical vehicles. The need was an initial 6 chargers to cover current and short to medium term demand, with the view to expanding in future, and one of the reasons they selected Joju was that they also wanted to explore potential for roof top solar for their Banbury site, to help further decrease the carbon footprint of their premises.

At Joju, we are highly experienced in helping our workplace EV charging customers navigate the variety of funding options available. In Mahindra’s case, as the site and business were eligible for the OZEV Workplace Charging Scheme, we were able to administer this on their behalf to secure a £350 per socket contribution to the cost of the install.

Also, due to being technology agnostic as a business, we were able to recommend the best solution for the site, as well as for our client’s brand goals. As ABB is the principal sponsor of the Formula E Championship, the link to the product on this commercial site was a natural one. Together we examined the ABB product range and agreed the best products for the application – namely the ABB Terra AC 22kW Wallbox chargers. The ABB back-office solution also provides the perfect functionality for Mahindra Racing to monitor their use.

The installation

We carried out the full turnkey installation including all groundworks, installation of the EV charge points on posts, the electrical installation, testing and commissioning, all to the required client timescales.

We pride ourselves on our dedicated project management, technical expertise and flexibility and for Mahindra, we needed to ensure we connected into the existing electrical infrastructure on site, choosing the correct supply chain partner and making sure this happened at a convenient ‘out of hours’ timeframe for the client.

The reaction

Dilbagh Gill, Team Principal and CEO at Mahinda Racing said,

“We believe that ‘doing good’ goes beyond philanthropy and CSR. It is more than just random acts of kindness. It is a purpose, an attitude, and a way of life. As a team, we are committed to finding credible, advanced and next generation mobility solutions while being kind to the planet. Sustainability is not a buzz word for us; it is ingrained into our ethos and a big part of the reason we are racing in Formula E.

The installation of EV charging points at our facility here in Banbury is yet another step in our journey to drive this change towards electrification and it has been a pleasure to work with Joju, whose reputation and attitude aligns so well with our own passion. We are grateful for their guidance every step of the way, and look forward to their continued support as we continue to grow”.

It’s always great to get this kind of feedback and we look forward to working with Mahindra Racing in the future, to keep their workplace charging goals on track!

 

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Royal Holloway Charge Points

Going electric at Royal Holloway University

Royal Holloway, University of London, is a pioneering University, steeped in history, yet constantly adapting to the demands of modern higher education.

When it comes to environmental credentials, the University ranked as a top tier University in USwitch’s second annual study into UK universities’ commitment to being green.

As part of their Living Sustainably programme, University researchers also work with partners around the world to investigate the drivers of unsustainable activities. They respond by co-developing innovative solutions for all communities to use resources more sustainably, and to be part of healthy communities. So, when we were appointed to work with the University on its EV infrastructure, we were delighted.

Feasibility and install

After visiting the University and discussing requirements, we conducted a feasibility study to create the best possible EV charging solution for staff, students, fleet vehicles and visitors to site.

The project was funded by the University and after an initial four car parks in the original study, Royal Holloway made the decision to begin with one site. There was an excellent electrical supply to that car park already, which meant we could install four dual socket Alfens, all running at 22kW.

Collaboration

The University needed the installation to be complete for the start of the new September term last year, so we put everything in motion to complete our works in that timescale. More often than not, we carry out all electrical work ourselves but, in this instance, our installation team worked seamlessly with the University’s electrical contractor, overseen by our experienced project managers. Working collaboratively is always something we’re happy to do!

Looking to the future

Dr David Ashton, Deputy Principal (Operations) of Royal Holloway, has said that the University is

“committed to addressing climate change and working hard towards goals such as achieving net zero by 2035”

and it’s brilliant to be part of the sustainability story at Royal Holloway. We hope to install more EV charge points here in the years to come.

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Read more about our Public EV projects

Check out our work with Schools, Colleges and Universities

Read more about Joju Charging as a portal for Public Sector EV Infrastructure Procurement