Cambridge City Council has won a prestigious national award for its ambitious programme to install hundreds of electric vehicle (EV) charging points across the city.
The council took home the 2024 EV Evolution Award at the British Parking Association’s annual awards, held recently in London, in partnership with Connected Kerb and Stripe Consulting.
Beating out competition from other local authorities and private companies, the council was recognised for its innovative approach to delivering EV charging infrastructure, systems, and services both in council-run car parks and at kerbside locations. The award was presented by TV personality Paul Sinha.
Stripe Consulting played a pivotal role in ensuring that the structural integrity of council car parks could safely accommodate the increased weight of electric vehicles. Their expert assessment also guaranteed that all fixings and installations met the highest standards for durability and safety in a car park environment.
As part of the initiative, more than 600 new EV charging points are being installed in Cambridge’s car parks over the coming years, in partnership with Connected Kerb – one of the UK’s leading providers of EV charging solutions – with the project set to make EV charging more accessible for everyone.
EV charging points are already available at several locations, including:
- Adam and Eve Street car park (15 points)
- Arbury Court car park (12 points)
- Campkin Road car park (12 points)
- Grafton East car park (2 points)
- Gwydir Street car park (16 points)
- Queen Anne Terrace car park (40 points)
Further installations are planned at Castle Hill (23 points), Petworth Street (5), Leete Road (6), Sleaford Street/Ainsworth Street (6), Cherry Hinton car park (8), and Gwydir Street Enterprise Centre (6), among other locations.
The soon-to-open new Park Street underground car park will feature up to 222 EV-compatible bays, with 26 of these available from day one including two accessible bays. The remaining bays will have the infrastructure in place to convert to EV as demand requires.
A key aspect of the programme is its sustainability. The long-term partnership with Connected Kerb ensures the project is delivered at no overall cost to the public purse. Additionally, the chargers have been designed to integrate into their surroundings and are future-proofed to support emerging technologies like 5G and air quality monitoring.
This programme plays a vital role in Cambridge City Council’s Climate Change Strategy 2021-2026 [PDF, 4MB], which aims to reduce the council’s carbon emissions to net zero and supports the wider goal of a net zero Cambridge by 2030.
Cllr Rosy Moore, Executive Councillor for Climate Action and Environment, said: “By providing this comprehensive EV charging infrastructure, we are making it easier for residents, visitors, and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles – which is an essential component of cutting our city’s carbon emissions and working towards our ambition of being carbon neutral by 2030. The move to EVs is also an important part of our air quality action plan and will help to clean up the air we all breathe.”
Cllr Katie Thornburrow, Executive Councillor for Planning, Building Control and Infrastructure, said: “This project exemplifies the council’s and our partners’ commitment to sustainability and demonstrates our proactive approach to addressing climate change at a local level - the increased availability of EV chargers not only encourages the adoption of electric vehicles, but also underscores our dedication to creating a greener future for our communities.”
