The UK Geospatial Commission has published a report that aims to support local authorities to make decisions about where to install electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints in their areas.
According to the report, location data can arm local authorities with evidence to rollout a public charging network that gives current and prospective EV owners the confidence to make their journeys, whether in a densely populated city or the countryside.
Viscount Camrose, minister, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said: “Local authorities and the wider sector should continue to embrace new location data and analysis to accelerate the targeted rollout of chargepoints so that drivers can find and access reliable chargepoints wherever they live.”
The report explores the breadth of location data and applications available to support local authority decisions about where to install new chargepoints and identifies five opportunities to better use existing location data, as well as new sources of information to:
- understand the location and availability of existing chargepoints by making chargepoint operator data standardised and consistent
- understand consumer charging behaviour and travel patterns by using population movement data
- identify the location of EVs by using commercially-held data about leased vehicles
- identify existing electricity network capacity through better use of distribution network operator data
- identify areas without off-street parking by using proxy data
The Geospatial Commission has been leading a multi-year programme highlighting opportunities for advanced geospatial applications in the transport sector.
The programme has identified how location data can support the future of mobility and next-generation transport networks and called out ways to maximise its impact.
In 2021 it published ‘Getting to the Point’, which explored the role of location data to help model future demand for chargepoints, identify suitable sites, create a seamless consumer experience and track rollout.
According to that report, local authorities are ideally placed to identify local needs and play a fundamental role in facilitating private sector investment and ensuring all communities have access to reliable public charging infrastructure, especially on-street charging points.
It stated that councils must make informed decisions about how many, which types and where chargepoints will be installed, based on demand and site suitability.
Innovations and achievements in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure will be highlighted and celebrated at the second annual CiTTi Awards on 21 November 2023 at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector – and to book your table today!
