Shell to help local authorities install EV chargers

Shell is seeking to have 50,000 on-street electric vehicle charge posts installed across the UK by the end of 2025, and has promised to help local authorities get their charging networks up-and-running as quickly as possible.

As part of a wider effort to bring more EV charging availability to the millions of UK drivers without private parking, approximately 3,600 ubitricity chargers are already in place in the UK, using existing street infrastructure such as lamp posts and bollards. In order to drive take-up to reach the 50,000 figure, Shell will support local authorities with a financing offer to install more ubitricity on-street chargers in towns and cities across the UK at potentially zero cost.

The government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles currently meets 75 per cent of the cost of installing on-street chargers through the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS). For local authorities looking to install ubitricity charge posts, Shell is prepared to cover the remaining costs, subject to commercial terms.

According to recent figures, more than 60 per cent of households in English cities and urban areas do not have off-street parking – rising to 68 per cent for people living in social housing.

David Bunch, Shell’s UK Country Chair, said: “It’s vital to speed up the pace of EV charger installation across the UK and this aim and financing offer is designed to help achieve that. Whether at home, at work or on-the-go, we want to give drivers across the UK accessible EV charging options, so that more drivers can switch to electric.”