Electric Vehicle Charging

Indicative sketch of the EV charging station

Need for Infrastructure

South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Zero Carbon Strategy states explicitly a need to explore how electric vehicle charging points can be delivered across the district. 

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) believes, even taking account of EV charging at home, work, and supermarkets in future, that at least 700 public charging points must be installed each day from now until 2035.

The SMMT is concerned that public electric vehicle charging is absent from smaller towns, and rural areas, known as ‘charging blackspots.’

To date – just like the broadband rollout – public EV charging investment has focussed on urban areas, leaving rural communities behind.  This project ensures that the local area has access to reliable ultra-rapid public EV charging. 

Local demand for EV charging

The UK has banned manufacturers from selling new petrol and diesel cars and small vans from 2035. As such, the demand for the purchase and use of electric vehicles will continue to increase rapidly.

Did you know?

A direct comparison of diesel and electric vehicle cars sales across the UK in January 2022 and January 2023 is set out in the graph below:

Three times as many electric vehicles were purchased compared to diesel ones, with a near 20% increase in EV sales in January 2023, compared to January 2022. As of January 2023, EV sales represent a total market share of 13%.

Source: https://www.smmt.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/Jan-Fuel-2023-and-YTD-cars.png

The EV charging station comprises:

  • Six ultra-rapid (up to 350 kW) and six rapid (43-100 kW) charging points which would allow 12 electric cars at the same time, no matter the make or model.

  • Public rest facilities including a small café/shop.

  • New hedge and tree planting with bird and bat boxes to ensure that there is a biodiversity net gain, ensuring that the local ecosystem is enhanced.

There are other charging facilities, do we need another one?

Yes.  The ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging points (up to 350 kW) can fully charge a typical car in as little as 20 minutes, making it the fastest and most viable hub in the area.

The electricity used to charge vehicles at the Eco Hub will have been generated cleanly from the on-site solar panels. Other facilities draw directly from the National Grid, which may come from fossil-fuel power stations, exposing them to the cost variability of “grid electricity” and reducing electricity available to power homes and businesses.