The Charge Project

The Charge Project was an Ofgem-funded initiative in SP Energy Networks’ Manweb region to accelerate the transition to electrified transport and help meet the UK’s 2050 net zero targets.

Working in partnership with PTV Group, Smarter Grid Solutions and EA Technology, the Charge Project combined transport and electricity network planning data to expedite the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

With a focus on increasing the number of public chargepoints, the Charge Project created ConnectMore, an interactive online map and cost estimator that shows where chargepoints are required and where they can be best accommodated by the electricity grid. It also developed new methodologies and a DNO solution for the deployment of Smart Charging Connections.

ConnectMore Interactive Map (England & Wales Only)(opens in a new window)

ConnectMore EV Connection Cost Estimator (England & Wales Only)(opens in a new window)

Watch the Charge Project summary video

Read the Charge Project summary leaflet

Timescale

January 2019 – December 2022

Project Status

Completed

About

The Charge Project has significantly increased our understanding of the road ahead for public charging infrastructure roll-out and developed new tools and methodologies to empower both DNOs and customers – including chargepoint operators, local authorities, site owners and property developers – to deploy chargepoints quickly and more easily where they are needed.

Mapping the future: creating a new type of transport model

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The Charge Project’s first step was to develop robust, reliable data about where and when EV drivers in the coming years are likely to need to charge their vehicles.

PTV Group combined traffic data with predicted EV ownership to create a comprehensive transport model covering SP Energy Networks’ Manweb region: Merseyside, Cheshire, North Shropshire, and North & Mid Wales.

The first of its kind in the UK, the Charge Project transport model is based on a digital representation of traffic patterns showing where and how far EVs are driven, and where they are parked. It uses this data to predict where demand for chargepoints will increase over incremental five year periods from 2025 to 2050, based on a series of EV uptake and road usage scenarios.

By analysing the likely effect of different factors over time, the transport model can produce forecasts detailing where public charging demand will occur, the type of charge required, and crucially the demand on the electricity network.

Smart Charging Connections: maximising benefits from the existing electricity network

The Charge Project also investigated new ways to flexibly connect public chargepoints to the distribution network and make the most efficient use of existing network capacity.

Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS) conducted virtual trials to understand how Smart Charging Connections (SCCs) – the Charge Project’s term for flexible connections for public chargepoints – can be adapted and deployed in both simple behind-the-meter schemes (customer-led SCCs) and more complex network control schemes (DNO-led SCCs). SGS also developed a DNO control infrastructure solution that enables SCCs to be deployed as part of Business-As-Usual activities.

By constraining demand as necessary to ensure that the network never becomes overloaded, SCCs allow more chargepoints to quickly and more cost-effectively be installed in the same location without the need for reinforcement work, boosting the near-term availability of public charging.

Watch a series of short animation videos which explain the main types of SCCs and how they might be used.

Empowering customers to make better decisions: ConnectMore

Cost Estimator Guide

A fundamental objective of the Charge Project was to help chargepoint operators and other customers make more informed decisions about where public chargepoints need to be located.

To this end, EA Technology utilised the Charge Project transport model, up-to-date LV and HV network capacity data, and 30 years’ worth of connection request documentation to create ConnectMore, a first-of-its-kind, free-to-use, self-service online planning tool that empowers customers to make quicker and more accurate decisions about chargepoint installation.

There are two core elements to ConnectMore:

The first is the ConnectMore Interactive Map (CIM), which enables users to quickly identify both where EV charging demand is likely to be high and where public chargepoints can be accommodated by the electricity network with the minimum need for reinforcement.

By enabling both potential charging demand and ease of connection to be viewed together on the same interactive map, the CIM can help the user to identify the optimum locations for EV chargepoint installation and help inform roll-out strategy.

The second ConnectMore element is the EV Connection Cost Estimator. This enables users to get an instant quote for how much it will cost to connect chargepoints to a specific location on the electricity network, and thus identify the most cost-effective chargepoint site.

ConnectMore can quickly deliver the hard evidence that’s needed to get chargepoint projects off the ground. Instead of being hindered by a complex, time-consuming DNO-led process, customers can now take control of the process themselves, identifying the best locations for chargepoints and getting a connection quote in a matter of minutes.

Partners

	PTV Group Strategic transport and scenario planning
	Smarter Grid Solutions Solutions for public EV charging
	EA Technology "ConnectMore" online connection tool

Results

Understanding the road ahead

Road near Llangollen

The Charge Project was a significant collaboration between the transport and electricity industries, and has successfully delivered new and innovative ways for the UK to create a public charging infrastructure that supports all EV drivers, both now and in the future.

The Charge Project:

Created detailed forecasts of EV driving patterns and chargepoint demand over the next 25 years
Developed smart connection solutions that can maximise the use of existing network capacity and rapidly boost the number of public chargepoint
Empowered customers with a timesaving, self-service tool that takes the complexity out of chargepoint location and enables them to generate their own quotes

One of the key learnings from the Charge Project was an increased awareness of the value and importance of good quality data, and the way in which it can be used to put more control into the hands of customers. ConnectMore in particular has demonstrated how data can be combined from different sources – in this case, from the transport and electricity sectors – and made more widely available to non-specialists. It also emphasised the need to maintain this data as standard practice.

Road near Llangollen

The Charge Project’s work and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders also provided valuable insight into the UK’s roadmap for EV adoption on a mass scale, particularly in relation to the technology readiness of both chargepoint operators and DNOs to deploy new charging methodologies and schemes. This is an area in which improvements are clearly necessary, with more work needed on the development of communications protocols and control systems.

Ongoing conversations revealed a need for all parties to think ‘smarter’ if the UK is to meet the charging demands of the future. While network reinforcement will inevitably be needed to accommodate the increase in connection requests, alternative smart solutions are available to mitigate the extent of this work and accelerate the near-term deployment of a public charging infrastructure in line with demand.

Working smarter also means keeping reinforcement costs down through better planning and coordination, ensuring that connections are future proofed now rather than being subject to ongoing reiterations.

Ultimately, the Charge Project has delivered new tools and methodologies that can be used by the electricity industry as part of its Business-As-Usual activities going forward.

Reports

The Charge Project produced a series of reports that detailed the feasibility and benefits of the technologies and methodologies it proposed, and outlined results of the trials it conducted.

Trials Learning and BaU Roll-Out

This document presents learning from trials to help accelerate the business-as-usual deployment of Smart Charging Connections.

The Charge Project

About

About

Partners

Partners

PTV Group

Smarter Grid Solutions

EA Technology

Results

Results

Reports

Reports

News

News

Videos

Timed Capacity Connection:

Customer Load Management Scheme:

Locally Managed Constraint Scheme:

Centrally Managed Constraint Scheme: