The world's first pop-up EV chargers are now installed in Oxford
Photos: Urban Electric’s pop-up chargers
Pop-up EV chargers now available in Oxford
Urban Electric, a startup from London, England, has just installed the world’s first pop-up charging hub. And when we say “pop-up” we mean it literally.
The UEone charging hubs, recently installed in Oxford, appear out of the sidewalk when needed. When they're not in use, they sink into the ground to provide a clean, uncluttered sidewalk for pedestrians. The advantages of such an idea are also aesthetic, as disappearing charging ports helps maintain the look of a place that is as traditional as Oxford.
Six UEone chargers were installed in Oxford for the town's residents who park on the street and want to charge their vehicles overnight. They charge at a rate of 7kW and are brought to life by an app on your smartphone.
Because of their sleek, slim design, they do not provide a charging cable. Instead users will have to supply a two-way charging cable compatible with a Type 2 socket.
What inspired this?
As part of Innovate UK, a project we’ve reported on before, Urban Electric was given a grant of 452,000 Pounds ($546,000 U.S.) for it’s disappearing chargers. The street chargers are a perfect idea for a place like England since, according to Forbes, around 43 percent of households – up to 85 percent in some areas of London – can't easily use an EV because they have to park on the streets, meaning using a charger is very difficult.
Yesterday Urban Electric launched a 250,000 Pound crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube and raised more than 100,000 Pounds on their first day. If you would like to support the initiative, the like to their crowdfunding campaign can be found here.
By Nicholas Yekikian
Borrow is an electric vehicle subscription company with one goal: to make driving an EV as simple and accessible as possible. Borrow is the only electric vehicle subscription service of its kind with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the everyday drive.