Connected Kerb

At Connected Kerb, we accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility for all with reliable, affordable and accessible electric vehicle charging solutions. We focus on deploying long-lasting, cost-effective and sustainable charging infrastructure in long-dwell locations, such as workplaces, public, residential and commercial car parks – where data has proven drivers want to charge their cars.

What differentiates us from traditional charge point vendors is that our technology is a two-part solution. Our smart cities system is comprised of technology that is sunk beneath the pavement and housed in a protective steel box, and the visible, above-ground charge point socket. The subterranean componentry provides access to both power and data, which enables an array of different hardware and software products.

Today, this means that we can support EV charge point technologies, environmental and air quality management sensors, parking management sensors and varied payment platforms. Tomorrow, these same smart city boxes will power the data needed to drive advanced mobility and transportation technologies.

In developing and deploying our award-winning charging and smart cities system, we continuously analyse existing charging infrastructure, driver needs and the future direction of the auto industry.

The learnings we have gained from this process are core to the system we have developed to date and will continue to drive the innovation of our solution.

These are the core principles we follow to deploy in our market-leading approach:

1. Network Convenience & Confidence

For large-scale adoption, EV charging must offer a comparable or better experience than that of fuelling a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle. That means charging infrastructure must be deployed at a greater scale and with far higher reliability, giving drivers confidence that charging points will be available when and where they need them.

2. Paired Deployment of Smart Technologies

Deploying EV charging points is costly and disruptive and today only delivers value to the 2-3% of drivers who own an EV. To minimise disruption and maximise the benefits across society, we should seek to pair the deployment of complementary technologies, such as IoT sensors and 5G, alongside planned EV charging point deployments.

3. Sustainable Deployment of Infrastructure

Today’s average charging infrastructure is short-life (<10 years), costly to maintain and upgrade, and made of non-recycled/unsustainable materials. Increasing awareness of our impact on the environment means that maximising the long-term sustainability of the infrastructure we deploy is non-negotiable.

4. Future Proofing

Most EV charging infrastructure deployed to date risks becoming quickly obsolete. This is due to provider solutions not supporting technological advancements such as wireless inductive charging.  Rather than gambling on the future, infrastructure solutions deployed today should be flexible and adaptive to future technological advancements.

5. Commercial viability

When working with our clients, depending on the preferred model, we take one of two approaches:

a) We take risk on the performance of the charge points with no fixed payment from our client for operation and maintenance (O&M), but with a more significant share of profit; or

b) We are paid a fixed annual fee for O&M and all the profits are returned to the client.

For the UK to achieve its Net Zero objectives by 2050, it is imperative that electric vehicle (EV) ownership becomes mainstream. For this to become a reality, EV charging infrastructure must be convenient and accessible to everyone in society regardless of social status or geography.

Comparably, the findings of our 2020 annual report, “Electric Vehicles: Moving from early adopters to mainstream buyers”, show that 67% of EV drivers would not have bought an EV if they had not been able to charge at home, while 89% of drivers would be inclined to buy an EV as their next car if charging points were made available to them where they park overnight or at work.

We are proud that making EV sustainable, affordable and accessible to all is at the heart of what we do. Whether it is using recycled materials whenever we can, installing charge points in less wealthy areas or making chargepoints more accessible to disabled users, the contribution of the EV industry to the net zero agenda will only be genuine if everyone at least has access to public on-street residential charging. That means tackling charging blackspots in rural areas, improving access to smart energy tariffs and most importantly, engaging with local communities to win hearts and minds about the importance of the transition to EV. Connected Kerb engages with a range of community stakeholders from residents and councils to charities and businesses so that we can get things right. Only by doing this, can we make EV an accepted way of life for future generations.