Electric vehicle drivers in central Scotland can now benefit from through-pavement charging stations making it easier to plug in from home.
Kerbo Charge has rolled out electric charging points in Stirling, affecting over 90,000 residents in the area.
The charging points, which are installed on a trial basis were brought to the council's attention by Stirling resident, Stephen Gordon, after finding the product from a Google search.
With no driveway, Gordon was reluctant to make the switch from a petrol to an electric car due to inconvenient and expensive public charging points.
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Stirling resident Stephen Gordon plugging into his EV on-street thanks to his new Kerbo Charge channel
KERBO CHARGER
The Kerbo Chargers allow residents to safely charge their electric vehicles on the street from their own supply.
When residents want to charge, they insert their charging cable and the purpose-built closing lid secures the plug in place.
Gordon said: “Stirling council is very forward thinking with roadside charging and with the Kerbo Charge channel install, other councils will have to follow suit to keep up.
“I’m really happy with the result, it looks perfect and you definitely don’t notice it on the pavement.”
The need for safer on-street parking forms part of the Department for Transport’s plan for drivers which looks at ways to improve processes, roads and travel journeys for motorists.
Under the plan, one of the aims looks at creating safer on-street charging for electric car users, the roll out by Stirling council supports that goal.
Kerbo Charge co-founder, Michael Goulden, added: “Thousands of residents across Scotland are ready to move to electric, but only when they can charge at home.
“We hope councils across Scotland will follow Stirling’s lead and make these available for their residents. We want to highlight that they are 100% privately funded with no cost to the taxpayer.”
The latest data from ZapMap found that charging a vehicle at home costs on average £680 per year, while it costs £1,820 for a resident to use public chargers.
Meanwhile, it costs £1,470 per year for drivers of petrol cars, making it a cheaper option.
The data showed how as of the end of March 2024, there are now over one million fully electric cars on UK roads and a further 645,000 plug-in hybrids.
The Kerbo charger solution is made from PVC, a high-strength thermoplastic material and boasts a lower carbon footprint than metal alternatives.
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The Stirling trial is part of a series of planned local authority rollouts for customers with on-street parking.