Electric Vehicle Trial – Update

Last March the Council announced a trial to decide which technique would be introduced in B&NES to enable residents to charge their Electric Vehicles (EV) while these are parked outside their homes, using domestic tariff electricity and various forms of cross-pavement trenching to allow a cable safely to reach the EV (Electric Vehicle Charging Trial – Bath Alliance for Transport and Public Realm).  Council Officers recently provided this progress report: 

Three suitable firms in this field have been selected for the trial, each of which will build some of the facilities.  After this it is likely that a single firm will be chosen to provide the service across B&NES.  Funding of the trial has to come from the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), which means that it cannot start until February 2024, but already several volunteers have asked to participate.  This will include the fitting of an EV home charging unit, for which planning permission must be sought.  Unfortunately, these initial trials will not include any listed building or conservation zone: extended trials for these will follow on, probably in the second quarter of 2025.  This will disappoint some Bath residents, but particular difficulties are foreseen, so those residents may have to rely for longer on the ‘Revive’ charging network in B&NES car parks, which is growing.