Halton Borough Council is once again powering ahead and being at the cutting-edge of science and innovation through a revolutionary new public Electric Vehicle charging hub.
Leiria Way in Runcorn has been specially selected to pilot the new EnSmartEV system that can fast charge six Electric Vehicles (EVs) at the same time.
The Government-backed initiative has seen a brand-new battery container and three EV charging posts installed at Leiria Way.The £350,000 project has been jointly funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicle (OZEV) through Innovate UK and Entrust Microgrid.
Welcoming the launch of the pioneering new EnSmartEV system, Cllr Stef Nelson, the Council’s portfolio holder for Environment and Urban Renewal, said:
“The Council announced a Climate Emergency in October 2019, and has sought to reduce our borough’s carbon footprint. We are doing this by improving sustainable transport with better cycle and walking networks, using recycled materials where possible to maintain our infrastructure, reducing emissions from fleet vehicles, improving access to publically available electric charging points and working with local businesses to provide sustainable travel plans.
“The EnsmartEV system not only supports Halton’s residents to make the transition to reduce their own carbon emissions from transport but demonstrates the continued investment in the borough with cutting-edge technology which supports our communities.”
Entrust Microgrid said the system is a world first. Xiongwei Liu, Managing Director of Entrust Microgrid, says: “EnSmartEV is an entirely new system, and we are delighted to launch this in Runcorn.
“EnSmartEV is innovative because it takes low-cost overnight grid electricity and stores in batteries to charge EV’s at the highest possible power efficiency during the day. The system is designed with great flexibility to balance the grid and feed power from the battery storage to the grid when it is called. This is critically important because as the more people that drive EV’s the greater the impact on the electricity grid and whilst it is key to move to net zero we also to keep the lights on too!
“The revolutionary new technology also means EnSmartEV can fast charge up to six EVs in parallel at any one time. It can charge all EV models fitted with CCS Combo 2 or Type 2 charging inlet, and it is accessible for all EV drivers.
“We are confident that EnSmartEV system will be an ideal EV charging system solution for hospitals, supermarkets, business parks and retail parks along with residential communities that will all need EV charging facilities.”