Midlands Connect, the region’s Sub-national Transport Body (STB), has a clear mandate from government: to research, develop and progress strategic transport projects that bring social, economic and environmental benefits to the area. One such strategy is focused on the region’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, supporting the accelerated growth of EV use in the region while levelling up rural areas.
To help local authorities in the Midlands plan for the right charge points in the right locations, Midlands Connect utilises Zapmap Insights’ Locations data. This detailed dataset helps establish and track the existing infrastructure and stay up to date with ongoing developments. Using the unparalleled accuracy of Zapmap Insights’ Locations data, Midlands authorities can use the evidence to understand existing EV charging needs and plan the right charge points in the right location at the right time.
The role of the public sector in delivering EV charging infrastructure
The transition to electric vehicles is gaining momentum, and a key challenge lies in the development of a robust and accessible charging infrastructure. While investment from the private sector continues to accelerate, Bharat Pathania, Head of New Technologies at Midlands Connect, explains the importance of additional investment in the form of public and concessionary models:
"The transition to electric vehicles needs to be equitable for all, especially rural areas where the reliance on cars is much higher, and also low income areas with lack of off-street parking. Therefore, it is critical to support those local authorities where the commercial case is less compelling so that we have a connected charging infrastructure experience for all.”
From the Welsh border in the west to the Lincolnshire coastline in the east, Midlands Connect provides strategic guidance to some of the most — and least — densely populated areas of the UK. Public sector support is important to enable all areas to meet the demand for on street residential charging. In rural areas or those with high grid connection costs, charge points are less likely to be installed without public sector support.
Midlands Connect has brought together 13 local authorities who worked collaboratively to secure funding and are now in the process of procuring charge points. By working together these local authorities can deliver EV charge points at a scale which meets the overall ambition of making the Midlands fairer, greener and stronger for everyone who lives there. But local authorities face a complex task in determining the optimal locations for public charge points, explains Bharat Pathania.
“We need to carefully consider the existing infrastructure, as well as local demographics and demand forecasts. Data that’s asaccurate and comprehensive as possible, and which we can rely on to be up to date, is critical to making the right decisions.”
However, obtaining and maintaining such data could present a huge challenge to STBs, requiring significant internal resources to regularly contact the multitude of individual networks that operate public charge points. The challenge is exacerbated by the rapid pace of charging infrastructure installation across the UK — in the Midlands region alone, the number of charge points doubled over the last two years.
Smart decisions, simplified
The solution comes in the form of a strategic partnership with Zapmap. Having access to the UK’s most comprehensive and reliable public charge point data, in a format that is both regularly updated and easily queried, is enabling Midlands Connect to support local authorities to make strategic, informed decisions and to respond to evolving market demands.
Charge point operator (CPO) networks grow so quickly month on month that onboarding new charging devices at speed can present challenges. Zapmap has mitigated this through the integration of a new machine learning-based system, increasing accuracy and freeing up human resources to focus on more complex cases and driving ongoing improvements.
With over 95% of public charge points on its platform, Zapmap provides Midlands Connect and local authority partners with a comprehensive dataset of public devices which includes detailed information on the exact location of each device, as well as the power rating, the location category and other key details. This data is combined with other relevant datasets, such as EV take-up modelling, on-street demand and off-street parking availability. This comprehensive approach enables Midlands Connect to identify strategic locations for charging infrastructure in the context of other factors like high-traffic routes, residential areas, the absence of off-street parking and commercial districts.
Supercharging the Midlands
As the demand for EVs continues to grow, the partnership between Midlands Connect and Zapmap will play a vital role in supporting the transition to a cleaner and more sustainable transportation system.
It’s already yielding several significant benefits:
- Improved decision-making: providing local authorities with valuable insights into existing charge points and enabling them to make data-driven decisions about the placement of new locations.
- Enhanced efficiency: regionally securing data on behalf of the 22 authorities in the Midlands. By leveraging Zapmap's data, local authorities can avoid duplication of effort and ensure that charge points are strategically located to meet the needs of EV drivers.
- Supporting rural and equitable charging needs: ensuring that charge points are distributed equitably across the region, making them more accessible to a wider range of drivers and ensuring that geographic areas or demographics aren’t missed.
- Addressing Data Gaps: filling critical gaps in information that CPOs don’t make available or that is not included on outdated databases.
“We’re proud of what we’re achieving across the Midlands region after securing, with 13 local transport authority partners, £40.8 million of Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure funding to deliver on street charging infrastructure. But we’re not complacent,” says Bharat Pathania.
“In the future, we plan to explore ways to collect data on driver journeys, charging purposes, and preferences. Having access to Zapmap’s Insights offerings is critical to us furthering our understanding of EV driver needs and charging behaviours. We can use this information to continue to refine our public charging infrastructure tool so that our local authority partners can utilise it and Midlands Connect can understand, continue to meet, and anticipate the evolving needs of EV users.”
Jade Edwards, Head of Insights at Zapmap adds:
“Midlands Connect’s joined up approach to addressing EV infrastructure challenges is a real inspiration and a showcase of what can be achieved at a regional level. We’re delighted that our data is playing a key role in delivering environmental and social benefits for the people of the Midlands.”
Midlands Connect hosts The Engine Room podcast exploring the social, economic and political forces behind transport investment in the Midlands. Listen here: The Engine Room
To learn more about the Midlands consortia, click here: Midlands Connect - Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
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