Rather than installing new charging stations, an innovative system in the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea has made it possible to use existing street lamps to charge electric cars.
One of the biggest challenges surrounding the spread of electric cars is the creation of an adequate network of charging stations: how many to install, where to position them in the city, and where to find the resources to cover the costs. In London, however, they appear to have found a solution. In the boroughs of Chelsea and Kensington, the local authority is indeed installing electric vehicle charging systems inside existing street lamps.
SimpleSockets, the new system, was developed by Ovo Energy, a company active in the energy technology sector, and German high-tech firm Ubitricity. Following the first seven pilot lamp posts installed last November, the companies are expanding the network with a further 50 charging points to be completed by May: Londoners who own an electric car will be able to use them 24 hours a day, in designated parking spaces, at a cost of 15 pence per kW (€0.17) with monthly subscriptions costing £7.99, while the cost rises by a few pence for non-subscribers. A special connecting cable between the charging station and the car will also be required, offered by Ubitricity at £199 (€223) for subscribers and £299 (€335) for all other users. Vehicles can be charged at up to a maximum of 3.5 kW, and to ensure a turnover of vehicles there will be a fixed charge of one pound per charging session and one pound per hour after the first 24 hours of connection. To allow users to monitor costs in real time, locate charging points and check whether they are available, a dedicated smartphone app has also been developed.
The innovative system avoids costly urban works and the installation of charging points that can appear unsightly. Interventions such as these, which help promote the uptake of electric cars, will become increasingly necessary in the future given the British government's intention to move towards the phasing out of diesel and petrol vehicles. From 2040, the United Kingdom will ban the sale of new cars fitted with combustion engines, and from 2050 it will prohibit older diesel and petrol cars from the roads.
