Ubitricity is set to install its lamp post EV charge points in Portsmouth, with a trial scheme that will see 50 units installed over the next few months.
Due to be sited on 34 roads over the next few months, the charge points were selected via residents’ requests submitted to Portsmouth City Council, and will now be open to further consultation.
The scheme will be operated by Ubitricity and trialled for three years, after receiving funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). Those EV drivers who are residents of Portsmouth will be charged on a pay-as-you-go basis, using electricity sourced from a lamp post, or Ubitricity bollard.
The trial is in response to needs for EV drivers without off-street parking to have reliable residential access to charge points. In built up areas of cities such as Portsmouth, that access is often not available. By installing on-street residential charge points, the drivers can charge up as conveniently as at home.
Councillor Lynne Stagg, Portsmouth’s Cabinet Member for Traffic and Transportation, said. “We want to encourage greater use of electric vehicles, so are introducing the infrastructure to support this. We hope this will give residents the confidence to invest in electric vehicles when the time comes to replace their cars.
“We have aspirations for improving and maintaining healthy air quality in Portsmouth, to reduce pollution levels and benefit public health. As more residents use electric vehicles, communities will benefit from improved air quality and will lower their carbon footprint.”
Residents who requested a charge point will now be contacted by the council so the installation process can begin.
Charging areas will be identifiable by a shared-use socket and a marked ‘electric vehicle charging’ bay. To park in the bay, the vehicle must be plugged in.
Users will require a Ubitricity Smart Cable to access the points, with billing carried out from the account linked to the resident’s registration.
Find existing Ubitricity points on Zap-Map, with new ones added as they go live
