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Sector
Renewables, Transport and Logistics
Location
United Kingdom
Services
EV Installation
Electrical
Our partnership with East Lothian Council
Overview
Our team really are the specialists when it comes to expert Electric Vehicle (EV) chargepoint installations.
No matter what, we’re committed to supporting our customers with their fleet requirements and making their transportation to sustainable transport as smooth as possible. Find out more about how we worked with East Lothian Council to help meet their green energy needs!
The challenge
In 2018, BES Electrical were approached by East Lothian Council. At this time, East Lothian Council only had four functioning chargepoints available. Due to this, it was widely believed that people in the area would not purchase an electric vehicle (EV) until the right and necessary infrastructure was in place to support them.
Because of this, “Range anxiety,” the idea that a driver might run out of charge far from an available chargepoint, was a common fear among drivers who were considering making the switch. For households that didn’t have a private driveway, there was even less of an incentive to drive electric vehicles. In fact, a study recently carried out has identified that there are nearly 15,000 such households in East Lothian.
Additionally, due to the limited available charging infrastructure, longer electric vehicles or those with trailers weren’t able to charge at any of the local public chargepoints. As a result of this, the local Car Club had been forced to switch from an EV to a conventional Internal Combustion Engine vehicle due to charging availability difficulties.
The solution
Over the next two years, BES Electrical played a crucial role in supporting East Lothian Council by installing its network of over 80 chargepoints. Now, the majority of people in East Lothian live within a 5-minute drive of a chargepoint.
The network now has both ‘Journey’ rapid chargers and ‘Destination’ slower chargers available for the local people to use. One of their sites at Wallyford Park & Ride has also installed longer charging bays with High-Power Chargers suited for heavier vehicles at a key point close to the strategic road network.
The result
With this project, residents gained access to one of the most complete charging networks in Scotland and levels of use are consistently rising.
East Lothian Council is now considering opportunities of the future, such as:
- Installing on-street chargers that are near residences without driveways
- Multi-model chargepoints so that walking, cycling, and public transport are all available options for local residents
- Bollard-mounted chargers along spaces that need to be for just EVs
- Slimline chargers for conservation areas or where minimal space is available