EO Charging has partnered with Suffolk County Council and renewable energy provider Bulb, to launch ‘Plug In Suffolk’ – the UK’s first ‘fully open’ public electric vehicle (EV) fast charging network.
This is the country’s first ‘fully open’ public fast charging network for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, meaning EV drivers simply pay by contactless payment with no need to register with networks or become members of organisations.
The first ‘Plug in Suffolk’ charging location has now been unveiled at Urban Jungle Plant Nursery and Cafe in Beccles. The company offer two 7kW EO chargers alongside the EO Pay kiosk, allowing members of the public and employees to charge their electric vehicles.
‘Plug In Suffolk’ will see the installation of electric vehicle charging stations (up to 400 individual sockets) across the county at 100 key locations and business addresses and forms part of Suffolk County Council’s ambition of ‘creating the greenest county in the UK’.
Once completed, the charging network will be available for all plug-in vehicle drivers with each charging location listed on www.pluginsuffolk.org or searchable via Zap Map and Google Maps.
Charlie Jardine, founder and CEO of EO Charging said, “Suffolk’s existing charging infrastructure is simply not fit for purpose if we are to see the mass adoption of EVs across the county.
“The ‘Plug In Suffolk’ network will play a vital role in increasing the density of publicly available fast EV chargers and will ensure that driving electric in Suffolk is hassle-free. Charging should be as easy as buying groceries, simply tap-and-go.
“We want to support Suffolk County Council’s ambition of creating the greenest county and firmly believe that implementing this network is an important piece of the puzzle. We’re also pretty excited to be launching the network on our home soil here in Suffolk.”
Councillor Richard Rout, cabinet member for Environment and Public Protection at Suffolk County Council added, “We’re working to reduce the barriers that drivers face when thinking about switching to EVs here in Suffolk.
“Installing charging infrastructure that not only covers a large rural area but is also available to all electric vehicle drivers is most certainly a challenge! We’re confident, however, that the ‘Plug In Suffolk’ network will be a solution for many plug-in drivers.
“The network is another commitment towards creating the greenest county for Suffolk and will drive traffic to Suffolk’s businesses and provide them with the opportunity to financially capitalise on the increasing demand for EV charging in the region. Given their technical and local expertise, it is exciting to launch this initiative alongside Stowmarket-based EO Charging.”
EO Charging has also partnered with Bulb, Britain’s biggest green energy supplier, to offer Suffolk businesses the opportunity to switch to 100% renewable electricity. Businesses that become a part of the ‘Plug In Suffolk’ network will be able to switch to Bulb, who provide affordable renewable energy at prices on average 15% lower than standard energy tariffs offered by the ‘Big Six’.
Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, head of Bulb Labs commented, “We’re delighted to be partnering with EO Charging and Suffolk County Council to bring convenient EV charging to the people of Suffolk.
“We’re on a mission to make the UK the greenest country on earth and are working to support the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the UK. ‘Plug In Suffolk’ represents a significant step on the way towards building the infrastructure we need to make that happen.”
Suffolk businesses can now apply to become part of the ‘Plug In Suffolk’ network, by completing a simple application form at www.pluginsuffolk.org.
Businesses that install the ‘EO Pay’ unit and become part of the ‘Plug In Suffolk’ network, will be able to charge visitors to charge their electric vehicle. Host businesses have the option to pay upfront for the chargers or alternatively can spread the cost through EO Charging’s new pay per day funding model – ‘Charging-as-a-Service’.
EO Charging is currently in discussion with a number of other counties and local authorities across the UK to launch similar projects to support the growing popularity for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.