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Electric Vehicles: Future-proofing Railway Station Car Parks

We know that within the coming years, uptake of electric vehicles will increase significantly. However, demand for public EV charging points is difficult to predict. There are many uncertainties.

For example, how quickly will usage of EVs ramp up? How many EV drivers will charge at home or use Public EV Charging Points? With batteries improving, will car drivers need to charge less often? What speed of charging point will users need in the future? How should users pay for their electricity in addition to their parking?

Facilitating the needs of EV drivers in the future presents a challenge to car park operators and planners. This report presents results of our investigations into the futureproofing of railway station car parks, and is relevant to organisations involved in the planning of new car parks or upgrading existing car parks. Whilst the focus of the report is on railway station car parks, much of the report is also applicable to other car park types.

The report considers Government policy, which is a major driver of the switch to EVs. Predictions for EV adoption, capability and performance are investigated. Modelling of national EV trends, and predictions of how the proportion of vehicles may change over time, is crucial to be able to adequately plan infrastructure for a fundamentally different automotive landscape. Use cases for EV charging at railway stations and potential EV charging habits are discussed. Why do people drive to railway stations, and how might that change over time?  The needs of other vehicle types, such as taxis, private hire vehicles, buses and car clubs, are also considered.

Finally, potential levels of public EV charging point provision and design considerations are put forward, included a discussion as to how intelligent design of ‘passive provision’ could enable significant savings in the future.

Connected Places Catapult were pleased to work on this project alongside the Energy Systems Catapult, and Dr Keith Bevis of the University of Hertfordshire.

If you have any questions please contact alan.nettleton@cp.catapult.org.uk

Download the report