The installation of the new Gul-e on-street electric car charging initiative is underway in the borough, with eight addresses taking part in a one-year pilot scheme.
Bromley residents are set to become the first in London to reap the benefits of Gul-e, the UK’s leading electric vehicle (EV) charging solution, created by ODS, Oxford City Council’s trading company. The London Borough of Bromley is the latest local authority to roll-out a Gul-e trial across eight sites starting from Monday, 3 July.
The sites, which are located right across the borough, will help these residents to simply, safely and affordably charge their electric vehicles at their own homes without having to rely on more costly public charging options. Installation across all the sites will take just three days to complete, and data gathered throughout the trial will be invaluable in helping more residents charge from home using their own domestic electricity supply in the future.
The Gul-e pilot scheme provides a secure and convenient home charging option for those who don’t have access to a driveway. This is achieved by the placing of a specially built gully under or beside resident’s garden paths, leading out to the roadside where their cars are parked. This can only be accessed by the resident, ensuring reliable car charging access from their home without causing a trip hazard to the public or adding to street clutter. At home, EV charging is also cheaper than public charging. Cheaper night rates for electricity could encourage owners to charge at night, thereby easing daytime demand on suppliers.
Previous successful Gul-e trials have taken place with councils in Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire and, because the affordable cost of Gul-e is suitable for self-funding, the need for council investment in on-street infrastructure, subsequent maintenance and contract management is reduced.
Councillor Nicholas Bennett, Executive Councillor for Transport, Highways and Road Safety says, “We recognise that for the many resident motorists who do not have drives, that it is not really practical to have an electric car, with the potential for wires to otherwise dangle across the pavement. We are keen to evaluate this exciting trial, which could make charging vehicles so much easier for residents. We hope that many more households in the borough will be interested in using this system to charge their cars, and we look forward to a safe, practical, and silent future.”
Jason Munro, Director of Operations, ODS, said: “We are excited to be bringing Gul-e to the capital this summer, and are proud to support the London Borough of Bromley in this new venture. As more and more people switch to electric vehicles, we have big ambitions to support the UK’s EV growth and help local authorities right across the country with their EV strategies through Gul-e’s safe, convenient and competitively-priced at-home charging.”
Currently an estimated 24.6 per cent of UK households (6.6million) do not have access to off-street parking and are unable to charge electric vehicles at home. Gul-e helps overcome this challenge, as well as any reluctance to buying electric vehicles among people who are discouraged by the cost and inconvenience of public charging.
For more information about Gul-e and to book a demonstration, contact Lewis Dixon at ODS by emailing lewis.dixon@odsgroup.co.uk.
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Notes to editors
- Gul-e can help to enable home charging and utilisation of domestic energy rates for millions of people across the UK who rely on on-street parking.
- Typical public charging cost (57p/kWH) = £35
- Typical home charging cost (Octopus Energy, 10p/kWH) = £6
- Gul-e has been designed with durability and sustainability at its core. The simple, non-electronic design can withstand developments and upgrades of EV charging technology (such as wall chargers and cables).
- By utilising home charging, the need for Council investment in public grid connections is reduced. Furthermore, overnight charging is encouraged, therefore reducing grid pressures and grid reinforcement costs.
- ODS is a wholly owned company by Oxford City Council.
- The Bromley Gul-e installations are at Wellsmoor Gardens, Clarence Avenue, Stanley Road, Gilbert Road, Colesburg Road, Cambridge Road, Trenholme Road, Venner Road.
- For more information about Gul-e, visit https://gul-e.co.uk/
- Enquiries about Gul-e should be emailed to gul-e@odsgroup.co.uk
For media enquiries, please contact Justin Brown, Public Affairs Officer, on
020 8461 7872 or email justin.brown@bromley.gov.uk