Turning the electric vehicle transition into a reality
The Chief Executive of Connected Kerb wants to ensure lower-income areas don’t get left behind in the EV transition and help councils roll out charging infrastructure.
Speaking in a blog on the company website, Chris Pateman-Jones said: “We are determined to play our role in helping to push the green recovery in the right direction. For us, that means trying to tackle the inequality in access to charging infrastructure that many observers and research reports highlighted pre-Covid.
“By ensuring lower-income areas don’t get left behind in the EV transition, reaching out to educate communities on EV with our engagement programmes and deploying charge points that can support IoT (such as air quality and parking sensors) and other digital technologies, we hope to deliver an accessible-to-all EV network that will protect the UK’s net zero aspirations.
“If ‘levelling up’ is what the government wants to achieve, then turning up the volume on our quiet, nationwide ‘EVolution’ will help ensure that electric vehicles can be enjoyed by everyone.”
The company, which is a provider of electric vehicle infrastructure solutions, recently announced a nationwide expansion of its charging network and has international growth plans for 2022.
Against the backdrop of the pandemic many councils are facing budget and resourcing pressures who are faced with the challenge of deploying charging infrastructure fit for residents and businesses today and for the long term.
Pateman-Jones remarks that this is a challenge the company is “helping many to overcome”.
“In 2021 we agreed successful long term contracts with councils in Kent, Milton Keynes, West Sussex, Lambeth, Northumberland, Warrington, Coventry, Cambridge and many more, all of whom are pursuing policies of greener, sustainable transport – and by the end of Q1 this year we expect to add more to this list.
“So it is true to say that Covid has dominated council priorities for the past two years, and rightly so, but the appetite and ambition for EV is certainly growing.”
The company is also focused on residential charging. Pateman-Jones added: “Our residential developer clients have risen to the challenge presented by Covid imposed delays to their construction and sales activities and are now looking to prepare for new legislation to provide a minimum level of EV provision in new build properties.
“The pandemic has reshaped our daily lives from the way we work to the places we go. A significant trend during the pandemic has been an increase in interest from home-buyers for properties in more rural areas. As a result our developer clients are expanding their portfolios in out-of-city locations which in turn will see increased demand for charging infrastructure outside city and urban areas. As the pandemic has pushed trade out of city centres to edge-of-city retail parks and shopping centres, demand for EV provision from commercial landlords has also increased.”
Connected Kerb also provides a full installation, maintenance and consultation service for small van and car fleets.
“The transition of fleets (large and small) to EV is key to the mass adoption of EVs across society. In a recent survey by Fleet World, more than one in four respondents (27%) cited coronavirus as one of the biggest challenges the industry faces. What did they say was THE biggest challenge? Electrification – particularly for fleet vehicles parked away from centralised depot locations. But their challenge is our collective opportunity to bring a full EV transition to every corner of the UK. That’s why we are in deep conversations with major fleet managers across the country.”
Pateman-Jones is also a champion for equality with the company working hard to maintain a diverse workforce.
“Our workforce of just over 60 boasts talent from across the globe from Brazil to South Africa and New Zealand to France. Of course, we want to do more and certainly the EV industry as a whole needs to do more to recruit more women, particularly into senior positions. I believe it is such diversity which adds a wonderful personality and depth of experience to our business that translates into a personal service for our customers, from our technicians and installers to our account managers and customer service agents.
“Of course, there will be challenges and bumps along the way like in any business but I am determined, as we grow and expand internationally, not to lose that intimate yet innovative culture which set us on our way, back in 2017. My endeavour for 2022 is to continue to recruit the best talent from every background to make sure we treat every customer like it is our first. Only by doing this and striving to make EV accessible for all, can we turn the dream of a full electric vehicle transition into a reality.”
Image courtesy of Connected Kerb.
