British EV Chargers Retract Into the Sidewalk After Use
Electric vehicles continue to thrive in Europe. While no one can deny the benefit they bring to the environment, few people find EV chargers visually attractive — especially when those chargers line public streets. Good news: British company Urban Electric has designed a new type of charger that collapses into the sidewalk when not in use.
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Photo: Mikes Photos
Retractable chargers
The company plans on installing its new retractable chargers in public parking lots and on residential streets. It recently received $4 million pounds (about $5 million) to fund the installation of 18 pop-up hubs in two demonstration projects in Dundee, Scotland and Plymouth, England. These chargers will also offer drivers the convenience of paying for parking and charging via a smartphone app.
In Britain and beyond
Per Green Car Reports, 50 percent of urban residents park their vehicle on the street. Thus, if EVs are to keep increasing in popularity in Britain, having streetside chargers is a must.
Urban Electric’s innovative street-charger design offers a solution for charging stations that don’t clutter the sides of the street. As the company’s co-founder relates, it will provide urban residents without garages the convenience of at-home charging.
If all goes well, the retractable chargers could soon spread to other parts of Europe, as the company inaugurates test pilots beyond Britain. It will be interesting to see if Urban Electric markets this new design internationally, to encourage EV adoption on a global level.
Read more about initiatives to expand the EV charging infrastructure in Europe here. And click here to read how the U.S. is expanding its own charging network.
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News Source: Green Car Reports
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