Lucy Zodion helps to pave the way for sustainable travel in Cornwall

Summary 

Client: Enerveo, on behalf of SWARCO 

Location: Cornwall 

Completed: 2023

Products: Used: 42 (qty) x 3mm, HDG, pre-wired feeder pillar cabinets (one at each site): mix of 100A and 200A DNO

Background 

Cornwall Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019. To tackle it they made plans to become carbon neutral by 2030. With road traffic responsible for over 875,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases annually, and 93% of Cornish transport emissions, the transition to electric vehicles became a vital component of Cornwall’s strategy to address climate change and improve air quality. 

With some funding from the European Regional Development Fund, the goal was to have over 200 EV charge points, located in Cornwall Council owned car parks by 2023, giving new public access to those within Cornwall without off-street charging facilities, businesses, and visitors to the area. 

The project team worked with experts to review sites and agree locations, based on technical capacity, demand and accessibility.  

Solution 

We’re proud to have partnered with Enerveo to support Cornwall County Council’s visionary Drive EV2 Infrastructure Project, which will deliver accessible electric vehicle charging across 42 car parks throughout the county.  

The project provides a total of 109 new SWARCO electric vehicle charge points. 19 Rapid 50kW chargers (capable of recharging an EV battery to 80% in around 40 minutes) and 90 7kW Slow chargers (typically used overnight). With each car park powered by Lucy Zodion EVIS pre-wired feeder pillars. A mixture of 100A and 200A DNO feeder pillar cabinets were supplied. 

To meet the demands required by such a large-scale, time-critical project, we recommended a bespoke approach to the scheme, providing 10 configurations of pillar for differing charger quantities and ratings. This allowed Enerveo to swiftly choose the correct pillar configuration for each car park, without the timely process of new drawings being completed each time. This also provided flexibility in the planning and implementation, as it allowed Enerveo to switch their configurations swifty, without the need to revisit the process. 

Results 

The extensive implementation of EV charge points across Cornwall has resulted in a significant expansion of the county’s EV network. Once all sites are live, visitors and residents will have the assurance they need to make the switch to EV: a positive stride towards the council’s net zero 2030 objectives. 

For more than a decade, we have had the privilege of collaborating with Cornwall Council, in both indirect EV projects such as this one, and across direct street lighting central management projects- across two generations.

Matt Williams, New Business Manager at Enerveo, said: “The Lucy Zodion team was fundamental to the success and efficiency of this EV installation. The pre-set configurations allowed us to easily select the right EV supply pillar for each car parks requirements, with the freedom to change at any point in the event of an issue or change in charge point configuration.” 

About the Drive EV2 Project 

Funded by the England European Regional Development Fund under the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020, the Drive EV2 project has received a total of £3,625,00. The European Union-established European Regional Development Fund aims to aid local areas in stimulating economic development by investing in innovative projects that support businesses, create employment opportunities, and regenerate local communities. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, along with the intermediate body Greater London Authority in London, serves as the Managing Authority for the European Regional Development Fund. Further details on European growth funding can be found at https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.