SP Energy Networks has today announced the launch of its Charge Project’s ConnectMore Interactive Map (CIM).
The Charge Project is an initiative from SP Energy Networks and its partners EA Technology, PTV Group and Smarter Grid Solutions to accelerate the roll-out of public EV charging infrastructure across Cheshire, Merseyside, North Shropshire, and North and Mid-Wales.
The CIM is a free online tool that allows users, such as local councils, site owners, property developers and chargepoint operators, to quickly and easily identify not only where public EV charging demand is likely to be high, but also where it can be accommodated by the electricity network with the minimum need for new cables or equipment.
Geoff Murphy, Charge Project lead at SP Energy Networks, said: “In the past, both local authorities and businesses have been put off from investing in EV charging because establishing expected demand and the feasibility of installations has often been too time-consuming and complex. The CIM could change that forever by quickly delivering the hard evidence that’s needed to get chargepoint projects off the ground.”
The CIM works by evaluating both the potential demand by area for public EV charging and the likely ease of the connection onto the existing electrical network in that area. By enabling these two datasets to be viewed together on an interactive map, the CIM is designed to identify the optimum locations for EV chargepoint installation and help inform roll-out strategy.
Anticipated EV demand data within the CIM is shown according to four future scenarios that are based on differing assumptions about EV uptake and chargepoint availability, and displayed in five-year increments from 2025 to 2050. Users can switch between the four scenarios to ascertain how a particular area or site’s utilisation might vary for different EV and infrastructure projections.
Dave Roberts, commercial director at EA Technology, said: “The CIM will assist the decision-making process for new installations by answering questions on expected uptake, number of chargepoints needed, and the type which would work best. The data it provides is a forecast rather than a guaranteed outcome, but it will still significantly enhance the business case for chargepoint installations.”
The CIM is part of the larger ConnectMore toolset currently being developed by the Charge Project that aims to help businesses and local authorities to identify suitable sites for new chargepoints and estimate the cost of connecting them to the network.
