A new project focused on ways to improve public charging provision in rural regions has scored £335k in funding from Innovate UK.

The project will offer EV drivers access to privately owned charge points in rural regions when demand is high

The Rural Electric Mobility Enabler (REME) project is being run by a consortium that includes electric vehicle charging platform Bonnet as well as EDF, DG Cities and Devon County Council.

The partners are using technology, data and grid expertise to help understand the challenges of access to EV chargers and the impact on the grid from increased EV usage – and provide solutions.

The eight-month project will initially focus on Devon and will map in data on tourist levels to gauge how this will impact future public charging demand. DG Cities and EDF will deploy field dynamic code mapping and data from the National Grid to work out where in regional areas it would be necessary – but difficult – to implement public EV charge points.

And when demand is high, drivers will be able to access private charge points, using Bonnet’s consumer-facing app, which will convert the chargers to public use and handle payments. This will bring in money for charge point owners.

It’s a business model that the partners hope to propose to other rural councils in the UK, once the trial ends in March 2022.

Patrick Reich, co-founder and CEO at Bonnet, commented: “Electric charging provision is lacking in rural regions across the country, and we’re honoured to be collaborating with these partners to find solutions to these issues.

“Our payment and charge point information app can provide access to private charge points for public use across the UK and we already have thousands of public charge points on board. Innovative solutions need to be developed to combat drivers’ EV charging anxiety, especially in tourist hotspot regions across the country.

“This exciting project will be a step towards future proofing the electrification of the UK’s roads and we hope to encourage further change.”

Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, added: “We know that nine out of 10 drivers in the county we surveyed would like to make the transition to EVs over the next few years, so we have to be prepared. A vital part of that is better understanding the challenges of access to EV chargers and the associated energy supply from the grid, which will be caused by this increase in EV usage.”