Transport is one of the most polluting sectors in the country and, under plans to tackle air pollution, the UK government has committed to making all new cars in the UK effectively zero emission by 2040. The Scottish government intends to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2032.
The anticipated rise in electric vehicles will demand affordable at-home charging stations.
The partnership project between Brite Technical Services and City of Glasgow College has received a £5,000 innovation voucher from Interface to deliver a new standard in home electrical vehicle charging stations for the UK domestic housing market.
Douglas Morrison, associate director Innovation and STEM, City of Glasgow College, said: “Our college is delighted to partner with Brite Technical Services and bring our expertise to this project. In future we will need to adopt low emission vehicles and overcoming the lack of available charging facilities will be one of the biggest challenges.
“A six fold increase in charge points will be required to meet the expected demand so a unique opportunity now exists to ensure all new homes in the UK are built with charging infrastructure in place.”
BTS has recently prototyped a new product which significantly reduces the cost of electrical vehicle charging stations to both house builders and home owners.
Charlie Fraser, Director of Innovation for Brite Technical Services, said: “This has been achieved by creating a station which can be partly installed by house builders, using qualified electricians at an affordable cost, with a secondary unit being installed by an OLEV accredited installer at a later date.
“City of Glasgow College is now designing a polymer plastic protective cover for the charging panel.
“This is the first step to ensure we have the necessary infrastructure for this vital technology. We need to start training the next generation of engineers who will be required to build this infrastructure and this project will go some way towards meeting that need.”
The partnership brings a combination of expertise for the project with Brite Technical Services as specialists in electrical installations, charging infrastructure and electric vehicles; and City of Glasgow College having the skills and knowledge on wider construction and house-building.
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