Subsurface Technology for Electric Pathways (STEP)

电动汽车的采用对于英国实现气候目标和解决空气污染至关重要。电池成本和消费者接受度正在改善，但阻碍电动汽车快速普及的另一个障碍是缺乏公共充电基础设施。在英国，有800万车主无法使用路边停车场，因此无法在家中为电动汽车充电。解决这个问题有几种方法，但每种方法都有缺点：独立的路边充电点-通常位置不方便，价格昂贵，并且由于设备庞大而存在访问问题灯柱充电-便宜但仅限于靠近道路的灯柱。电力限制在2- 5千瓦。电线沟-开槽电缆在路面之间的充电点在家里和汽车。需要用户直接停在他们的房子外面弹出和无线充电-在发展的早期阶段快速充电集线器-还没有证据表明这是一个解决方案的居民然而，特洛伊能源系统，提出了一个新颖的，具有成本效益的解决方案，缺乏在街上的充电点。它涉及到一个齐平的连接，充电点是开槽到地面上，导致在人行道边缘没有永久的街道混乱。为了给电动汽车充电，用户将“长矛”插入连接器，另一端插入汽车。STEP第一阶段研究成功证明了这些充电点的可行性。对商业上可行的产品有很大的需求：约90%的研讨会与会者表示，他们希望将该技术安装在户外，大多数受访者表示，该解决方案将有助于克服缺乏公共充电的障碍。此外，地方当局对该技术充满信心，特别是因为它具有可扩展性，有助于缓解行政区内的停车压力。第二阶段试验将在现实环境中展示收费系统。布伦特和卡姆登的整条街道都将安装这种技术--连接器将相距约5米，让居民无论停在哪里都能充电。目前已有多家用户表示对该技术感兴趣，Octopus Energy也将招募部分家庭能源和电动汽车客户。此外，由于15个连接器可以并行运行，仅需一个电网连接，因此可以降低成本，并实现有效的电网管理。在试验中将监测充电点和车辆，以获得有关充电行为的信息，并证实电网服务的潜在收入，这是配电网络运营商（DNO）的一个重要方面。

EV adoption is crucial for the UK to meet climate targets and tackle air pollution. Battery costs and consumer acceptance are improving, but a remaining barrier inhibiting rapid EV uptake is lack of public recharging infrastructure. A substantial 8m vehicle owners in the UK don't have access to off-street parking and therefore cannot charge an EV at home.There are several approaches to this problem, however each has drawbacks:Standalone on-street chargepoint -- often inconveniently located, expensive, and presents access issues due to bulky equipmentLamppost charging -- cheap but limited to lampposts close to the road. Power restricted to 2-5kW.Wire trenches -- slotting cable in pavement between chargepoint in home and car. Needs users parked directly outside their housePop-up and wireless charging -- in early stages of developmentRapid charge hubs -- no evidence yet that this is a solution for residentsThe Trojan Energy system however, presents a novel, cost-effective solution to the lack of on-street chargepoints. It involves a flush connection, where the chargepoint is slotted into the ground, resulting in no permanent street clutter on the pavement edge. To charge an EV, the user inserts the 'lance' into the connector, and the other end plugs into the car.The STEP Phase 1 study successfully proved the feasibility of these chargepoints. There is substantial demand for the commercially viable product: ~90% of workshop attendees said they wanted the technology installed outside their home, and the majority of survey respondents said the solution would help overcome the barrier of lack of public charging. Additionally, local authorities have confidence in the technology, particularly as it is scalable and helps to relieve parking pressure within boroughs.The Phase 2 trial will demonstrate the charging system in a real-life environment. Entire streets within Brent and Camden will be fitted with the technology -- connectors will be placed about 5m apart, allowing residents to charge regardless of where they park. Several users have already expressed interest in the technology, and Octopus Energy will also recruit some of their home energy and EV customers.Furthermore, as 15 connectors can run in parallel, requiring only one grid connection, costs can be reduced, and effective grid management can be enabled. Chargepoints and vehicles will be monitored in the trial, to gain information on charging behaviour and to substantiate potential revenue from grid services, an important aspect for distribution network operators (DNOs).