The road to 2030 carbon neutrality cannot be negotiated with petrol and diesel powered vehicles that’s for sure. Transport accounts for over a third of Jersey’s total emissions and is potentially a huge area for further carbon reductions. That’s why Jersey Electricity is working with government, businesses and vehicle owners to drive down transport emissions.
Given that Jersey already has one of the cleanest electricity supplies in Europe, moving to electric transportation on an island that measures nine miles by five would seem an obvious choice to make and we are doing all in our power to help make that choice easier for Islanders by working with partners and investing in expanding the public charging network as fast as we can. With 42 charging bays now installed, we are well on our own ‘Road to 75’ and of keeping our promise to install 75 public EV charging bays by the end of 2020.
By that time, we will have invested close to three quarters of a million pounds in charging infrastructure to support the take-up in electric vehicles (EVs) and reassure those with EVs, and those considering switching to an all-electric vehicle, that adequate charging is provided around the Island. We hope this will give peace of mind to make a commitment to purchase an EV and help Jersey towards a zero-carbon future.
We have also joined forces with public and private companies to help them on their own road to decarbonising their fleets. These partnerships and increasing investment has been mirrored in a rise in EV uptake. Although still far removed from Government targets for ULEVs (ultra low emission vehicles), at the end of February 2020, the total number of pure EVs registered in Jersey was 667, an increase of almost 100 in four months, while the number of hybrid vehicles rose to just under 1,032. Significantly, the number commercial electric vans has more than doubled in the past two years from 52 in 2017 to 124 as more businesses and organisations realise the financial and environmental benefits.*
In February, we completed the upgrade of all the original public charge points installed in multi-storey car parks in 2013 to smart BP Chargemaster units. In partnership with Chargemaster we have now enabled ‘pay-as-you-go’ payments via an app or contactless card, while also giving drivers access to over 2,200 chargers in the UK. We also installed Jersey’s first free-to-access contactless payment system – via debit or credit card – 50kW rapid charger at our Powerhouse HQ, capable of fully charging the average EV in well under one hour (and for many vehicles 80% of capacity in 25mins).
In June, Infrastructure Minister Deputy Kevin Lewis switched on an additional six charging bays he helped us to install in Pier Road multi-story car park and opened a further four dedicated EV priority parking bays for EV owners who do not need a charge.
Based upon the success of the priority non-charging EV spaces we are working with others (GoJ) to introduce more of these dedicated EV parking spaces.
Working in partnership with the Channel Islands Co-operative Society, EV owners can also charge while they shop following our installation of four charging bays at St Peter Grand Marché. Four at St Peter En Route and more at Grand Marché St Helier are due by the end of the year.
There are now six more charging bays in public car parks at First Tower, St Aubin, and Woodford (St Brelade’s Bay).
In March we installed Jersey's first on-street charger in partnership with EVie - mobility on demand. By the end of June, both Red Houses and Longbeach, Grouville, had rapid chargers. Two charging bays in St Saviour followed and in July, we added four more public charging points at the Waterfront alongside a further two bays for EVie. This brought the total number of Evolve public charging bays to 47.
Looking ahead further chargers are planned for:
- St Helier Grand Marche (6)
- St Martin (6)
- St Ouen (2)
- Iceland (Georgetown) (2)
- Solar Canopy, Queen's Road (2)
- Goose on the Green (10)
Installing 22kW chargers futureproofs the network and with the addition of two more 50kW rapid chargers, there is an efficient charging solution for every vehicle. As the network grows, EV drivers who don’t have a home charger will have easy access to the network and the option of low-cost overnight charging.
In addition to the public infrastructure, we helped Jersey Post lead the way in the de-carbonisation of its 110-vehicle fleet begun in 2016. We have also helped Jersey Police electrify its fleet by providing three Mennekes 22kW chargers at Police HQ in May. The installation allows for a further six chargers to be fitted as the Police plan to add a further five EVs to the three BMW i3s it acquired in February. The airport Fire and Rescue Service followed suit, also taking delivery of an i3 this year.
We believe that working together in this way, we cannot only complete our ‘Road to 75’, we can also help the Island as a whole along its road to 2030 and a cleaner, greener more sustainable Jersey for us all to enjoy. We are willing to listen to your views on the future of EV charging and will be seeking public opinion on what is needed moving forward during 2020, for 2021 and beyond.
*DVS
