SP Energy Networks has today announced the official launch of the Charge Project’s ConnectMore Interactive Map (CIM) at the Cenex-LCV2021 conference and exhibition.
The Charge Project is an initiative from SP Energy Networks and its partners EA Technology, PTV Group and Smarter Grid Solutions to accelerate the roll-out of public EV charging infrastructure across Cheshire, Merseyside, North Shropshire, and North and Mid-Wales. It is also a vital part of SP Energy Networks’ commitment to help the UK become carbon Net Zero by 2050.
The ConnectMore Interactive Map is a free online tool that allows users – for example, local councils, site owners, property developers and chargepoint operators – to quickly and easily identify not only where public EV charging demand is likely to be high, but also where it can be accommodated by the electricity network with the minimum need for new cables or equipment.
Geoff Murphy, lead for the Charge Project at SP Energy Networks, says: “The CIM is a potential game changer for public chargepoint installation. In the past, both local authorities and businesses have been put off from investing in EV charging because establishing expected demand and the feasibility of installations has often been too time-consuming and complex. The CIM could change that forever by quickly delivering the hard evidence that’s needed to get chargepoint projects off the ground.”
The CIM works by evaluating both the potential demand by area for public EV charging and the likely ease of the connection onto the existing electrical network in that area. By enabling these two datasets to be viewed together on an interactive map, the CIM is designed to identify the optimum locations for EV chargepoint installation and help inform roll-out strategy.
Anticipated EV demand data within the CIM is shown according to four future scenarios which are based on differing assumptions about EV uptake and chargepoint availability, and displayed in five-year increments from 2025 to 2050. Users can easily switch between the four scenarios to ascertain how a particular area or site’s utilisation might vary for different EV and infrastructure projections.
Dave A. Roberts, Commercial Director at EA Technology, says: “While everybody agrees that charging must be available for all, the roll-out of public chargepoints remains slow. The CIM will assist the decision-making process for new installations by answering questions on expected uptake, number of chargepoints needed, and the type which would work best. The data it provides is a forecast rather than a guaranteed outcome, but it will still significantly enhance the business case for chargepoint installations.”
The CIM is part of the larger ConnectMore toolset currently being developed by the Charge Project that will help businesses and local authorities to identify suitable sites for new chargepoints and estimate the cost of connecting them to the network.
The CIM will be demonstrated at an LCV2021 workshop event on the morning of 22 September 2021.
More information about the Charge Project and the CIM can be found at: www.chargeproject.co.uk
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