Buckinghamshire Council has become one of the first local authorities in the country to trial a pioneering electric car club with an innovative induction charger – and it is located in Marlow!
(feature photo – Deputy Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment Jilly Jordan , Marlow Town Council Deputy Mayor Jocelyn Towns, and Bucks Council Cabinet Member for Transport, Steven Broadbent)
The On-Street Residential Induction Charger (OSRIC – www.osric.co.uk ) demonstrator will make a hire car available to local residents in Marlow so they can test the latest wireless charging technology for electric vehicles (EV) and also gain experience of driving an EV.
The Council is trialling the innovative induction wireless charging pad set into the ground. The trial will help assess solutions to EV charging that avoids potential trip hazards and a clutter of wires. The pad will only be activated when an electric car (installed with the specialised induction pad) parks over it.
Because existing electric cars don’t have wireless charging, an adapted Renault Zoe electric vehicle will be made available for hire using the hire car company HiyaCar, so that residents can try it out and become familiar with how to charge it using the wireless pad. It can also be charged using a standard cable connection if driven away from the wireless pad. (Direct link: https://www.hiyacar.co.uk/rent-a-car/16827-120781-renault-zoe-in-marlow-sl7 )
Councillor Steven Broadbent, Buckinghamshire Council Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “This is a really exciting project and it’s been brilliant to see it in action. Buckinghamshire Council is forward thinking and willing to trial transport innovations such as this.
“The trial will explore the feasibility of wireless charging and will also allow residents who may be hesitant to change to an EV the chance to try one. The car offers hourly or daily rental options so for some people it could be an alternative to owning a car. This technology is still in the early stages but it should all make running an electric vehicle simpler and easier – to ultimately encourage more take up.”
The Marlow demonstrator is funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles and is part of the government’s commitment to invest £1.3 billion on charging infrastructure for EVs across the country. Buckinghamshire Council is working with Char.gy, the charging point company, and with a team of local authorities, suppliers and researchers to run a set of trials in contrasting locations across Britain.
Richard Stobart, CEO and founder of Char.gy said: “As the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) increases, the ability to recharge EVs for drivers without off-street parking poses a challenge without increasing the amount of EV charge points potentially hindering pedestrian freedom of movement. EV wireless charging is a promising way of meeting this demand, and trials such as this for the public to use and provide feedback is invaluable to developing this technology.”
For more information about OSRIC, including information about joining the car club, please visit the demonstrator’s website: www.osric.co.uk (there is an FAQ with all the info and links)