With the increased demand in electric vehicles and countries’ pledge to cut down on carbon emissions as soon as possible, the UK may have found an elegant solution to the problem of the new infrastructure that should be build to fuel all these green vehicles.
The said solution involves pop-up charging stations that can be “summoned” via an app and sink into the ground on their own, once charging is done. This way, they don’t contribute to clutter through unnecessary street furniture, the Evening Express reports.
For the time being, this new type of charging station, dubbed OxPops, is on trial in Oxford, with residents of Lonsdale Road, thanks to funding through Innovate UK, a public body. The trial includes 6 pavement bollards called UEone and the app, which monitors usage and fees, while also telling users which station is available or closest to their location.
The trial runs through December, with plans to extend it nationally if it pays off. Such pop-up charging stations are deemed a viable solutions for EV owners who live in locations with on-road, off-pavement parking, and no driveway access. The availability of charging stations should encourage drivers of gas or diesel cars to want to switch to electric, as well.
Because the bollards have 2 overlapping, sliding sections, there is no need to dig deep holes into the pavement, so costs are not excessive, as compared to other ways of setting up charging stations. Also with low costs in mind, other pop-up networks will be configured in clusters rather than include isolated stations, since it’s cheaper to dig one, big hole than several smaller ones.
“The transition to electric vehicles presents several challenges, such as the lack of on-street charging facilities for drivers without off-street parking. This is especially relevant to Oxford, where we have higher than average terraced housing,” Oxford City Council said of the initiative.
“The aim of the OxPops trial is to test the provision of on-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure for residents who do not have access to off-street parking without changing parking provision or allocating dedicated spaces specifically for electric vehicle users,” the statement continues.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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