Midlands Connect takes a strategic approach to EV Charging

We continue to be impressed by the strategic approach to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure taken by regional transport body Midlands Connect.

In September they published a research paper - Supercharging the Midlands. This document provides an authoritative overview of current and predicted EV use across the Midlands, including how public charging infrastructure can be accelerated to meet demand.  

The paper found that among EV owners, only 7% of them don’t have access to off-street parking, yet 32% of people in the region are reliant on on-street parking. This disparity, mirrored across the country, clearly shows that the lack of convenient public EV charging is influencing buying decisions and potentially creating a two-tier EV market.  

Earlier this month, Midlands Connect hosted its first digital Electric Vehicle Conference to further explore the findings of their research, part-sponsored by consultancy WSP. Politicians, environmental experts and industry insiders (such as Zest’s Chief Development Officer Paul Ford) all came together to discuss the report findings and to share UK and international best practice.  

International speakers included Matthijs Kok, Developer of Electric Mobility in City of Utrecht, where actions to prevent two-tier EV adoption are more advanced:  

“Drivers can charge during shopping, so they don’t need to charge cars in their neighbourhoods during the rest of the week, because they leave the grocery store with a full battery. It’s really convenient and we need fewer chargers on the street. These are easy locations to develop chargers because there is lots of room and there is less room for chargers in nearby neighbourhoods.”

Following the conference, Midlands Connect is set to establish an EV Forum designed to continue knowledge sharing and to develop closer relationships between the public and private sectors. As a company backed by the government’s Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF), which combines public and private investment for public EV charging, we strongly support this approach.