Brighton and Watford ORCS

All content on this case study was created prior to the acquisition of EB Charging by Blink Charging.

Blink Charging are proud to work with a range of local authorities in securing funding for and implementing ORCS (On-Street Residential Charging Scheme) projects. These projects alleviate one of the largest obstacles to electric vehicle (EV) uptake – the lack of any viable charging infrastructure to those with no off-street parking at home. We have worked with Watford Borough Council, and Brighton & Hove City Council to build on existing charge point infrastructure with supplementary ORCS projects.

Watford Borough Council

Having signed a contract with Watford Borough Council (WBC) to install on-street charge points across the borough, we then successfully helped them bid for 10 more on-street fast chargers, and up to 15 lamppost charge points, which will be delivered with ORCS funding.This bid was supported by a feasibility study which looked at the DNO connections to ensure that sufficient power was available for each site, and which consulted with local constituents to ascertain both the current and future demand for sites. The sites were then strategically chosen based on the feasibility study and the results of this consultation, as well as the specific requirements of the grant funding.We are in the process of installing Alfen Twin fast chargers, which have 7kW of power on each socket and will be live by the end of April, and City EV lamppost chargers which will be live by the end of May. WBC have also partnered with us for an Innovate UK project which will pilot the inclusion of Nexus – a network extender which increases the amount of charging sockets available for residents.

Brighton & Hove City Council

In a similar process to our ORCS project with WBC, Blink Charging successfully helped Brighton & Hove City Council with a feasibility study for ORCS funding. This saw us again consulting with local constituents and assessing demand for sites, as well as working closely alongside the DNO to examine site capacity.With Blink Charging having already installed a network which now encompasses 200 lamppost chargers, 25 fast chargers and 12 rapids within Brighton, it was particularly important to ensure that within this new ORCS project we identified underutilised sites that were lacking charge point coverage. The ten Alfen Twin fast chargers installed will be active by the end of April, and will also be partnered with Nexus extenders.The charge points will be open to the public, but will also be sited in residential parking streets which require permits, prioritise access for local residents who most need access to on-street charging.