Data recently released by electric vehicle (EV) chargepoint operator Connected Kerb, from its trial of smart metered on-street EV chargers, suggests that smart public charging could save drivers £604.65 a year compared to conventional public charging.
This figure, when applied UK-wide, represents total national savings of £4.1bn a year by 2030.
Smart metering works by supporting EVs to schedule charging to times when energy prices are cheapest, such as overnight when demand is low, which both reduces emissions and pressure on the grid.
The trial, named Agile Streets, was supported by the government and delivered by a consortium of companies.
In addition to cost savings, the trial showed that peak energy demand could be reduced by as much as 240MW, which is equivalent to the energy needed to boil more than 1.4 million kettles, according to Connected Kerb.
The EV chargepoint provider has suggested that attempting to achieve this saving using lithium-ion battery storage would cost around £83m, plus an annual operating cost of £1.5m.
The company continued by saying smart charging’s reduced demand on local grid supports the installation of more chargers, aligning with government ambitions to fit 300,000 public EV chargers by 2030.
Chris Pateman-Jones, CEO of Connected Kerb, said: “The energy price crisis is a major challenge facing all industries. For the EV transition, we know that this will narrow the gap between the cost of refuelling a petrol or diesel vehicle, and the typically much lower cost of charging an EV.
“That’s why now is the time to focus our attention on smart charging technologies that can allow those reliant on public charging infrastructure to benefit from cheaper prices when demand for electricity is at its lowest.
“The deployment of smart charging into public charging – to both reduce consumer costs and minimise the impact of charging on the grid – is ground-breaking.
“The Agile Streets trial gives us the opportunity to ensure we get smart charging right, enabling us to take all of the learnings from the trial and get ready to roll out this revolutionary infrastructure.”
The Agile Streets scheme reportedly saw 100 Connected Kerb on-street EV chargers installed at 17 sites across four local authorities, namely Shropshire, Hackney, Glasgow and East Lothian.
Motorists using these charging locations were given the choice between smart charging on an ‘eco’ mode at 19p/kWh or a ‘boost’ mode at 33p/kWh, which would offer immediate power in the same manner as a non-smart public charger.
Connected Kerb has said the chargers used for the project will be given to the relevant councils in each participating region, with the company also hoping to deploy smart charging across as much of its network as possible.
