Electric vehicle owners in Swansea are taking part in a trial which enables them to charge their vehicles on-street outside their homes.
Swansea Council has joined forces with an electric vehicle charging company – Kerbo Charge, who has developed a solution which caters for electric vehicle owners who do not have an off-street parking space.
Households across the city previously registered their interest in the trial. Ten households were selected and have now had charging equipment installed at their property.
The innovative solution caters for electric vehicle owners who park on the roadside in their street and involves the creation of channels in the footway outside people’s homes.
Charging cables can then be connected to residents’ homes chargers and be fed into the channel across the footway without creating a trip hazard for pedestrians walking by.
Stuart Davies, Head of Transport and Highways in Swansea, said: “With the popularity of electric and hybrid vehicles increasing year on year, we know that we need to look at innovative new ways to enable all electric car owners to easily charge their cars.
“In recent years we have increased the number of fast-charging points at council-owned car parks and on-street locations, providing a good network of facilities for motorists. This complements the wider network of commercial electric vehicle chargers across Swansea.
“Many residents have the benefit of off-street parking at their homes, which makes it possible to charge their vehicle at home using their own electricity supply.
“Residents that do not have a driveway or off-street parking at their homes, have to rely on public charging points
“This trial will give us the opportunity to work with residents and Kerbo Charge and test this method of on-street charging to see the potential benefits and see if it is something we can develop further in the future.”
The trial is being funded by Welsh Government with support from Transport for Wales.
