Verbal Report.
Minutes:
John Strachan, Parking Manager provided a verbal update on Electric Vehicle Charging which included the following:
- This related particularly to charging for shoppers, visitors and those working in Tunbridge Wells. It also related to residents who didn’t have off street parking or access to charging facilities.
- In March 2021 TWBC joined a Kent CC procurement project (one of 7 Kent Authorities who had joined). The project sought to partner with an organisation that would provide electric vehicle charge points. This would primarily be in car parks. The charge points would be provided on a profit sharing basis.
- The chargers themselves were quite expensive – the fast chargers were about £3,000, the rapid chargers were about £23,000.
- If the agreement went ahead it would be for up to 15 years.
- The procurement exercise was currently underway and Kent CC hoped to award the contract in May 2021. Installation would commence in June 2021.
- TWBC had offered nearly all of its car parks as potential hosts. For the surface car parks the charging regime was likely to be fast chargers. The rapid chargers would be placed in car parks used by shoppers.
- TWBC were also seeking its own arrangements for external providers to host these chargers. This was being undertaken so that a comparison to what was being offered by Kent CC was available.
- Grant funding from Central Government was available, particularly from the Office for Zero Emissions. This funding was dependent on the chargers being available to residents.
- Two rapid chargers, close to the railway station had been installed on Mount Pleasant Road, one to be used primarily by taxi’s.
- TWBC were also finalising documentation to install another taxi and car charger in Commercial Road East Car Park in Paddock Wood.
- To date TWBC had received little interest from residents for chargers. The use of chargers currently installed in the car parkers was not widely used. Although this might change when the move to electric vehicles took place in 2030.
Discussion included the following comments:
- A number of residents in the St John’s area had expressed an interest for the provision of on street parking chargers. Residents were able to email Mr Strachan direct.
- A questionnaire was going to be sent to permit holders and season ticket holders to try and gauge the appetite for residents to own electric vehicles and to establish whether the lack of charging facilities was a barrier.
- TWBC were working on ways to provide on street charging in densely populated areas. The use of lamp posts presented a number of difficulties and was not currently appropriate.
- There were a couple of car parks in the St John’s area that had been identified as a possible location for electric chargers.
- Currently the price of electric cars were prohibitive for many drivers.
- The life of the chargers was of concern. At present, charge point technology was reasonably stable and it was hoped that any commercial company that supplied chargers would want to ensure the most up to date technology was being used.
- There was interesting VOSA data on the trends of sale between rural and urban areas. Also, the technology that allowed charging to take place via the wheels.
- The use of electric vehicles and the availability of chargers was in a bit of a chicken and egg position at the moment.
- Regenerative charging used the action of the car breaking as a mechanism for charging the vehicle. Inductive chargers used inductive waves on the road surface as the car travelled. But both initiatives were still in the early stages of development.
- Short duration trips were not conducive to the use of electric vehicles. The heavy batteries required were better equipped for longer trips.
- The lighter the vehicle the better, e.g. electric scooters and bicycles as they required the minimum amount of charging.
- The provision of electric charging points in residential streets, particularly those streets with terraced houses presented a number of issues.
- Car companies were also now investing in hydrogen cell technology.
- Concern was raised regarding the shortage of Lithium (from 2027), an important component of electric batteries and therefore something that could prove detrimental on the use of electric vehicles going forward.