Smart charging to offer big savings to Shropshire’s electric vehicle drivers

Shropshire Council is doubling its efforts to make electric vehicle (EV) charging available for everyone, by switching on a smart charging feature on its installed charging points – making Shropshire one of the first areas in the country to benefit from the nationwide smart charging rollout.

Through a partnership with Connected Kerb, the council has already seen 174 charging sockets installed in residential areas across 27 locations in Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Market Drayton, Oswestry, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch.

Connected Kerb’s new smart charging feature will uniquely allow drivers in Shropshire to schedule charging during off-peak hours when energy is cheapest and greenest, saving money, cutting carbon and reducing pressure on the grid. This is one of the first times that scheduled charging during off-peak hours has become available on a public charging network.

Shropshire drivers can benefit most from Connected Kerb’s smart charging capabilities by scheduling a charge from 7pm onwards, any day of the week, through the company’s app. Once plugged in and scheduled, charging will begin at midnight and carry on until 7am or until the EV battery is fully charged.

The smart charging offering will see lower overnight tariffs of £0.45 per kWh for drivers, extending the full benefits of smart charging to everyone. Thanks to the lower costs, drivers could save up to £222 per year on charging, the equivalent of 495 free EV miles – enough to drive from Whitchurch to Ludlow ten times. Collectively, this could see an annual savings of £1.5 billion for drivers by 2030.

Current estimations indicate that by the end of 2024 there should be 275 EV charging points operational in the Shropshire Council area. Further charging points will become operational in 2025.

The project is being partly funded by a £1.5 million grant from the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV). Shropshire Council is also part of a consortium of Midlands councils to have secured £39.3m of funding from the Government for the commissioning and installation of more electric vehicle charging points.

Shropshire was one of four areas that participated in the UK’s first ever Government-backed trial of public smart charging in 2022, called Agile Streets, which revealed that peak energy demand could be cut by 240MW by 2030, the equivalent to boiling over 1.4m kettles.

New research from Midlands Connect suggests the Shropshire Council area and Telford & Wrekin Council area remain on track for an EV boom and could see more than 121,000 electric cars on its streets by the end of the decade, with a significant increase in public EV charge points needed to keep up with demand. Reduction in peak demand for electricity directly reduces the use of fossil fuels to generate energy, which is essential to meet the UK’s legally binding target of net zero emissions by 2050.

Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for climate change, the environment and transport, said:

“We’re working hard to make electric vehicle charging available for everyone, and I’m delighted that Shropshire Council is one of the first councils nationally to benefit from Connected Kerb’s public EV smart charging feature. This will enable drivers in Shropshire to schedule charging during off-peak hours when energy is cheapest and greenest, which is great news.

“By the end of 2024, we should have 275 sockets across 36 locations, making Shropshire one of the best-connected rural counties in the country.”

Until now, 44% of UK drivers without access to home charging have not been able to benefit from these lower electricity tariffs at off-peak times. Connected Kerb’s smart charging rollout will make these significant cost savings possible across its public charging network for the first time.

Ben Boutcher-West, chief digital officer at Connected Kerb, said:

“Public smart charging is the catalyst we need to create a fairer, greener, and cheaper charging network. We know that just under two thirds of people in the UK don’t have access to a home charger, which is why we’re committed to levelling the playing field between those who can access smart charging and those who can’t.

“By increasing the speed of charging when energy is cheapest, we can now offer drivers lower-cost tariffs, maximise the use of green energy and take strain off the grid. Our rollout of public smart charging isn’t just a major milestone for Connected Kerb, but the UK’s EV transition as a whole, bringing our public charging network one stop closer to democratising the gap between those with and without off-street parking.”

Today, VAT on the public charging network is set at four times the cost of home charging, meaning that drivers reliant on the public network are faced with additional costs. To accelerate Shropshire’s shift to electric vehicles at the pace required to address transport emissions, tackling the inequities between drivers remains essential. By making smart charging publicly accessible, Connected Kerb’s rollout will play a fundamental role in addressing this imbalance.

Anthony Browne MP, minister for technology and decarbonisation, said:

“We want people to be able to charge their EV in a way that works for them, so it’s great to see public smart charging providing opportunities for drivers to save money.

“This has been made possible by Government-funded research, which is now translating into new cheaper charging options for those charging outside their home – a prime example of how industry and Government can work together to support greener travel.”

Smart charging on Connected Kerb’s network will be available to users through its newly launched mobile application, enabling the quick, easy, and convenient setup of overnight charging. The updated app features session tracking, providing users with live updates, so drivers can keep tabs on their charging remotely.

The company’s latest app displays recommended charge points, as well as those in use, making it easier for drivers to find the most convenient charge points. The app also features easy registration, simple payments (including both Apple and Google Pay), alongside extra tips and tricks to get the most out of each charging session and encourage best practice.