The UK’s first reservable electric vehicle (EV) charging solution within an apartment complex has been unveiled by Go Zero Charge in partnership with South Western House in Southampton.
Go Zero Charge is installing three of its smart EV chargers – the Optimus – at the complex, which houses 101 apartments.
Residents with electric cars will have the ability to reserve a charging bay in advance, offering complete peace of mind to the EV drivers who will now be able to regularly charge their vehicles at home, rather than relying on pricier public charger points.
All Optimus chargers are connected to the Go Zero Charging Network, sending live status updates every 60 seconds.
Technicians will be dispatched in the event of a fault, to repair or swap out the charger.
David Wells, chief executive of Go Zero Charge, said: “Millions of people who live in apartments want to transition to driving EVs.
“However, due to a lack of available facilities on-site and the expense and often poor reliability of public charging, people can’t easily make the switch. Our goal is to support people who live in apartments so they can make the switch to EVs with our low cost and reservable charging solution.”
Currently, 80% of EV drivers have a home charger, but the main reason that the remaining 20% do not is because they live in a property where they cannot get one installed, for example if they live in an apartment complex.
Many apartment residents are reliant on public rapid chargers that can be up to two thirds more expensive than home charging, while they don’t know whether the charger will be working or available when they pull up to charge.
