What Electric Nation participants can expect during the smart charger installation

Electric Nation, the world’s largest electric vehicle trial, has now completed a number of pilot installations of the smart chargers that are being used in the project. Very soon, the first participants on the project will be having their own smart chargers installed. So what happens during this process? Zoë Hood explains about her experience of having her smart charger fitted.

“I organised the installation for a day in the week when I was available, as the team need you to be at home when the smart charger is fitted. The Install Team arrived at 10am and they talked me through what they would be doing. I was without power at different intervals, but in total there were around two hours when the electricity was off.

“The charger was installed with the communication box in four hours. The Install Team ran tests there and then to confirm data was being received from the charger and the comms box. This is the data that is needed by the Electric Nation project so the trial can assess the effectiveness of the smart charging system and, if required, manage the demand on the local electricity network.

“The charger looks great on the side of the house, as it’s small, neat and modern, and I was able to use the charger that day. Before I switched to an EV, frequent trips to petrol stations were required. Now my EV can be charged at home while I sleep, and charging an electric car is around one-fifth of the cost of running a petrol car.”

New electric vehicle owners in the Midlands, the South West and South Wales can upgrade to a free smart charger by joining the Electric Nation project. A smart charger has much greater functionality than a standard charger, so ‘future-proofing’ your electric vehicle charge point.

The very first Electric Nation trial participants will be having their smart chargers fitted soon, and we’ll be sharing their experiences, so check back soon.