King’s College London has expanded and updated its electric vehicle charging network with help from Mer.

Mer has installed 15 AC charge points across eight King’s College sites, helping to future-proof operations as EV uptake rises

One of the finest research universities in the UK and globally, King’s put out a tender to grow and modernise its network of EV chargers across multiple sites, helping to future-proof operations as EV uptake rises.

Alexandra Hepple, sustainability officer at King’s College London, explained: “We have our own growing EV fleet and increasingly our contractors also use electric vehicles, leading to higher demand for charging. Mer has done a fantastic job of creating a charging network that suits our needs today and also enables us to expand in years to come.”

The contact included replacing older charging points with smart chargers, adding provision in new locations, networking all the chargers and providing a back-office system for monitoring and reporting.

Following extensive site surveys to identify utilisation rates of existing chargers and analysis of the optimal locations for additional charge points, Mer has now installed 15 AC charge points across eight sites, covering a mix of 7kW and 22kW chargers.

Stevie Jones, associate consultant for fleet and workplace charging at Mer, explained: “King’s was an early adopter of EV charging, but those older chargers were very limited in terms of the information they could provide.

“We swapped out this older infrastructure for smart chargers that can be networked and easily managed via our Mer Connect platform. This gives the sustainability team full visibility of who is using the chargers and when, as well as providing data on the carbon saved compared to using diesel vehicles.”

King’s can use the Mer Connect portal to manage individual or multiple sites, gaining real-time information on carbon savings, charger status and energy usage. The portal also enables Mer clients to set multiple tariffs for different use cases – for example, free charging for fleet vehicles, subsidised charging for employees, and a higher rate for visitors. Drivers can access the charge points via the Mer Connect app.

“Our evidence-based approach enables clients like King’s College London to make informed decisions about when and where to locate EV charge points,” added Jones. “By taking the time to fully understand each client’s needs, we ensure they get the right infrastructure today and the flexibility to scale up in the future.”