Weev has installed the first cross paving EV charging point in Northern Ireland, marking the start of a six-month pilot scheme announced by the Department of Infrastructure (DFI).
The Belfast-based EV charge point operator’s cross paving options offer homeowners the opportunity to charge their EV on the street, outside where they live.
Under the pilot scheme, one cross paving option is an ‘engineered channel’, where the footway is excavated to install a shallow channel that extends across the footway from the property to the kerb line, with a cover that allows the cable to be inserted and retracted.
The second solution is one where a cable cover is temporarily placed on a footway. The latter’s introduction will be facilitated through a six-month rolling pilot which will allow ongoing monitoring and evaluation.
This initiative comes as part of a wider drive in investment from the Department for Infrastructure and local CPOs to expand EV infrastructure across the region.
Thomas O’Hagan, Chief Commercial Officer at Weev said, “With not everyone having access to a private driveway to plug-in their EV, it is important for our regulators to adopt to industry innovations and create solutions to barriers to charging EVs.
“This new pilot scheme represents a massive game changer in our local EV charging network and will deliver huge benefits to consumers and fleets who want to make the transition to EV.”
Minister for Infrastructure Liz Kimmins MLA said, “Finding a new, sustainable solution to EV charging for those who live without a private driveway to park and charge their car is central to ensuring that we meet our climate commitment to net zero emissions by 2050”.
