Dundee City Council provided 18 innovative on-street chargers across the city

 

  • Providing accessible on-street chargers in residential areas
  • Installing charge points ahead of the demand
  • Embracing innovative solutions
  • Working towards a just transition

Dundee City Council

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Addressed Challenges:

  • Tech & innovation
  • Carbon emissions
  • Greater fairness/ Just transition

Action Areas:

  • Transport

Initiative Purpose:

  • Mitigation & Adaptation

The Story

pop up charger

Dundee is regarded as Scotland’s leading city in the adoption of public EV infrastructure. In 2016, the city became Scotland’s only OLEV (Go Ultra-Low) city. To prepare for the anticipated increasing uptake of EVs by the public following the Scottish Government’s objectives to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 and the Low Emission Zone scheme introduced in the city in May 2022 and first enforced in May 2024, Dundee prioritised building a network of charging solutions available to the public.

 

This includes 4 rapid charging hubs, 3 charging hubs located in multi-storey car parks, on-street chargers and the latest innovation – Europe’s first fully retractable chargers. The focus of city projects has matured from providing a strong foundation of different types of EV chargers to future-proofing residential streets with more on-street charging solutions. Dundee currently has 215 chargers across the city.

 

As part of UK research and innovation, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and Innovate UK have invested over £3 million in a two-phase competition for innovation projects. The aim was to develop business cases and deploy new approaches to electric vehicle (EV) charging.

 

The Clean Streets project demonstrated how on-street EV charging can be convenient while still preserving the unique nature of streetscapes. The £3million project aimed to trial innovative pop-up Electric Vehicle chargers for EV drivers who don’t have access to off-street parking. Following on from this successful trial, Dundee City Council were awarded funding from ORCS and Transport Scotland to install 18 chargers across the city.

 

Following a successful 18-month long trial period of 22 pop-up chargers installed in Dundee’s different streetscapes by Urban Electric back in 2020, Dundee City Council decided to embrace this innovation and include it in their on-street EV charging strategy. In early 2024, under the name of Urban Fox, the charge point manufacturer delivered 18x7kW chargers across 9 different locations in the city, in the heart of local communities. It was important for the council to invest in residential streets of varying demographics to future-proof these areas.

 

The collaborative work between Dundee City Council and Urban Fox was built on mutual understanding of one another’s objectives and shared trust, and resulted in a great improvement to Dundee’s streetscape enhancing the public realm. The innovative dual-socket pop-up chargers are the perfect solution for Dundee. The chargers blend seamlessly into the landscape. Using the Urban Fox app, users can activate and raise the charger from the ground, plug in their vehicle and keep track of usage on their mobile phone.

 

The UEOne model is also PAS 1899:2022 compliant, which means it further supports our pledge to provide accessible charging. When risen from the ground, the chargers are at an accessible height of 80 cm to allow for access without a need for bending. The unit features a socket on each side, which was designed to allow handling with a single hand, further improving the unit's accessibility.

 

When not in use, the chargers remain flush with the pavement, which eliminates the risk of tripping as well as minimises street clutter and obstruction. Furthermore, Urban Fox offers a sloped version of this charger to fit into a sloped streetscape, further enhancing their applicability.

 

As more than 51% of the population in Dundee don’t have a driveway or off-street parking to enable EV charging, this development allows those households to consider an EV as a feasible choice in the future.

Success & Outcomes

The latest advancement in the EV infrastructure deployment has added significant positive value to the community. Through charging provision, drivers are encouraged to switch to electric, and given confidence that the public network will sustain their needs if they were to purchase an EV. The wide EV infrastructure strategy also makes Dundee a better and more accessible place to visit, as tourists are welcomed with various charging solutions across the city – rapid, ultra-rapid and even chargers that rise from the ground. This innovation is truly one of a kind and has already made the headlines.

 

The wide infrastructure network also supports Dundee residents in following the Scottish Government guidelines regarding phasing out of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. Furthermore, the recently introduced Low Emission Zone will likely see more people going electric, and it is vital that Dundee City Council is prepared for this change in advance.

 

Due to their compliance with the PAS 1899:2022 guidelines, the latest charging hubs across Dundee have made a positive leap towards improving accessibility. Accessible charging infrastructure provision significantly promotes independence across all sectors and communities. Drivers can take advantage of improved access to employment, education, healthcare and leisure activities without relying on others or public transport. The new pop-up chargers have also allowed for drivers with health conditions and impairments to be involved in the transition to e-mobility – something that they were reluctant to consider when Dundee was lacking in accessible EV charge points.

 

The pop-up chargers introduced across the city will have a profound impact on communities. Through future-proofing these residential streets, we aim to create a just transition for generations to come. Dundee City Council understands that these areas have been overlooked way too often in the past, and it is now time that they are included in the city-wide regeneration plan. By providing access to EV chargers, we make these areas better prepared for the future while also adding a positive value to properties in the area.

 

 

Advice for others looking to do something similar

The difficulty also lay in trying to translate the hidden dangers of poor air quality to the public when transitioning to low-carbon vehicles. Our team has started to look at holistic ways of providing EV infrastructure across the city while promoting the switch to electric through Drive Dundee Electric - our social media-led campaign informing residents of the latest updates in the EV industry, funding available to the public, chargers usage and the impact of EVs on air quality.

 

The campaign worked cohesively with the charge point manufacturer to engage with the community more effectively. This partnership resulted in carrying out a letter drop at addresses within a 3-minute walk from the new charge points and taxi offices to inform recipients of the new installations. As 37% of Dundee taxis are electric, we felt it was vital to engage with the taxi trade. Additionally, the partnership generated posters and leaflets distributed to community centres, libraries, GP surgeries, taxi offices and residential buildings. Social media posts and graphics were also created to maximise our outreach by utilising Twitter and other platforms.

 

https://www.drivedundeeelectric.co.uk/news/2024/04/04/new-on-street-chargers-are-now-live