10 August 2021
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3 min read
DfT confirms winners of competition to design a new EV charger that is set to be unveiled at the Glasgow Climate Summit
The Royal College of Art and consultancy firm PA have been appointed to design a new electric vehicle (EV) charging point, which the government hopes could soon join the ranks of the British design icons such as the red post box or black cab.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps announced yesterday that the two organisations had been selected to deliver the new design following a competition run by the Department for Transport (DfT). The final design will be formally unveiled at the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow this November before being rolled out across the UK from 2022.
"Excellent design plays a key role in supporting our transition to zero emission vehicles, which is why I want to see EV charge points that are as iconic and recognisable as the British phone box, London bus or black cab," Shapps said.
"With less than three months to go until COP26, we continue to put the UK at the forefront of the design, manufacture and use of zero emission vehicles and their charging infrastructure, as we build back greener and call on countries around the world to similarly accelerate the transition to electric vehicles."
Designing the charge points in line with other British design classics aims to raise awareness of the transition to EVs and make charge points more instantly recognisable, the government said.
Warwick Goodall, transport and net-zero mobility expert at PA, said the new design could provide a further boost to the fast-expanding EV market. "We know that excellent design has the power to dismantle barriers to growth and simplify the user experience, making the switch to electric vehicles more attractive, accessible, affordable and secure for drivers," he said. "PA has a strong legacy in product design, which is an integral part of our world leading end-to-end innovation capability. The combination of PA's world-class design team and the Royal College of Art (RCA) brings the creative expertise to re-imagine the EV charge point as an iconic piece of British street furniture.
"We look forward to working together with the public and industry on a design framework that will accelerate the charge point rollout ambitions and bring to life the electric vehicle revolution on our streets."
The competition builds on the government's recently announced its Transport Decarbonisation Plan, which sets out a path for ensuring the transport sector delivers on the UK's goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
The plan confirmed the government's intention to end the sale of new internal combustion engine cars by 2030, and end the sale of new plug in hybrids five years later. It also set out plans to continue to expand the EV charging network, building on the £1.3bn of funding that has already been provided to deliver rapid charging points for long journeys as well as local charging infrastructure.
According to new statistics from Zap-map, an app that tracks EV charging points across the UK, there are now over 25,000 public charging points in the UK, meaning EVs are never more than 25 miles from a charge point.
However, the government and the fast-expanding charge point industry are facing growing calls from EV drivers to improve the reliability, interoperability, and reach of the charging networks, with experts warning that unless chargers become as ubiquitious as petrol stations and the charging experience becomes more seamless some motorists will remain reluctant to switch to EVs.
Ministers have said they are keen to resolve accessibility and functionality issues and have called on all charge point operators to finalise roaming agreements and ensure they chargers can be accessed on a pay-as-you-go basis using a standard debit or credit card as soon as possible, so as to tackle the scenario where motorists have to sign up to multiple network providers.
