UK EV infrastructure solution provider Connected Kerb is one of three chargepoint providers to have been selected for a project in New York to demonstrate how public access to EV charging can drive up EV ownership among the 50% of residents that park their cars on-street.
Connected Kerb, Char.gy and Voltpost are participating and collaborating in the project, which forms part of the DOT Studio – a collaboration between the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) and Newlab, focused on applying emerging technologies to advance planning, policy, operations, and real-time management of transportation across New York City.
Findings from the pilot will inform wider EV charging rollouts across New York City, which aims to install 10,000 kerbside chargers by 2030 and electrify 20% of municipal parking bays by 2025.
Connected Kerb will receive funding to install its EV charging points and is currently exploring locations at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to demonstrate the company’s infrastructure.
This involves using the company’s chargers to showcase how EVs can support the rollout of other public access technology in urban environments. Pilot planning and design is underway now, officially launching by autumn 2022.
Steve Richardson and Nick Dobie, co-founders of Connected Kerb, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be working with New York City’s DOT and Newlab to support the decarbonisation of the City’s transport system.
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“We’re confident that this pilot will not only fast track New York’s EV charging rollout, but also prove our technology in the USA, and provide a springboard for growth into the future.”
Connected Kerb has selected Charge Infrastructure, a division of Charge Enterprises, to be its installation provider for the project.
In 2021, around 15,000 EVs were registered in New York City, with more than 5,000 of those sold in 2020 alone.
Publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure is, however, slowing New York’s EV transition, a city where about 50% of private cars are parked on the street.
Prospective EV buyers report that convenient access to charging is a major barrier to purchasing EVs.
The Newlab pilot will provide a testbed to solve this challenge by attempting to prove that accessible and reliable charging infrastructure can be deployed in some of New York’s most densely populated urban areas, where space is at a premium.
It also aims to show that charging infrastructure can be adapted to local requirements like electrical standards and certifications.
