Newport City Council are working with Kerbo Charge to trial their charging gullies, with gullies having already been installed in Oakfield Road, Preston Avenue, Park Avenue and Tredegar Park View.
The gullies offer a potential solution to electric vehicle drivers who need to charge their vehicle but have no access to off-street parking. It is estimated that around 22,000 homes in Newport do not have access to off-street parking.
By installing a shallow, polymer gully into the pavement by their house, a resident can safely run a cable from their house to their car. The cable is secured in place inside the gully, removing a potential trip hazard.
This allows them to use their home electricity to power their vehicle, which could be cheaper and simpler than having to find the nearest public charging point.
Newport is the second local authority in Wales to trial charge gullies. Part of the trial involves looking at the potential use of the gullies in different types of locations across the city.
While this is a limited trail, and no decision has been made on rolling the technology out further at this point in time, the council would like to hear from residents who would be interested in a charge gully installation at their property.
If you would be interested in this, please email Newport Council with you name, address and contact details at [email protected].
“Part of our work to expand the electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Newport is looking at innovative solutions such as charging gullies,” said Councillor Yvonne Forsey, cabinet member for climate change and biodiversity.
“While our EV charging network coverage across the city is good, we still need to find ways of making EV charging more accessible, particularly to homes with no off-street parking.
“We believe that charging gullies can make a difference, and we’re looking forward to seeing the results of the trial.”
Michael Goulden, founder of Kerbo Charge, said: “congratulations to Newport City Council for trialling innovative new technology that completely removes one of the major barriers for EV adoption for Newport residents – the high cost and inconvenience of charging your car when you don’t have a driveway.”
