Background
The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) commissioned us to deliver an electric vehicle (EV) strategy and expansion plan, stating how the Council will meet the key goals set out in the Scottish Government’s vision for EV charging points. The strategic case for delivering the EV infrastructure expansion plan is based on Transport Scotland’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund.
Process
Our EV team supported the Council with:
- Reviewing other UK local authorities’ EV best practices and proposing changes to CEC’s current EV action plan
- Providing public consultation with four focus groups
- Engaging with Commodity Pool Operators and undertaking a supplier day to understand the commercial viability
- Delivering workshop to CEC’s procurement team
- Identifying and mapping electric vehicle charging infrastructure (EVCI) locations – then we created a location shortlist in conjunction with CEC, engaged with the Distribution Network Operator to identify the viability of locations, as well as created a financial model of all suitable locations
- Writing up results to deliver the formal CEC’s EV strategy and EVCI expansion plan
Project Centre undertook extensive desktop research and utilised our Geographical Information Systems experience to develop the strategy’s background and scope. To better identify the public’s demand for public charging, we considered parameters such as current availability of EV charging, off-street parking, demographics, and car ownership levels. Our EV team undertook extensive stakeholder engagement, to ensure we delivered a community-centric strategy. We organised separate workshops with EV owners and non-EV owners, ensuring a wide variety of viewpoints.
In addition, the team engaged with charge point operators and distribution network operators to better understand delivery models, how to manage installations in historically sensitive sites and budget quotes for future installations. The data collected from our consultation, along with the demand forecasting data, helped us identify potential sites for expansion and the grid connection requirements. The expansion planning work also considered capital investment requirements to maximise the amount of publicly provided infrastructure. Our EV team supported CEC with developing the overall business case. This involved considering key aspects of electric vehicle charging infrastructure installation, including:
- Delivery models – primarily considering the benefits of a council-owned network versus a concession-type contract
- Procurement options
- Specifications, standards and contracts – to have clear key performance indicators and a strong contract in place, particularly if a concession-type contract is being utilised
- Financial case – considering funding opportunities and viability of contract types
- Management case – including delivery timelines and risks
Testimonial
Project Centre’s support was invaluable in guiding the Council, liaising with third parties and coordinating a wide range of technical inputs to produce an Outline Business Plan and in turn a Business Plan; which formed the commercial framework for the future roll-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the city.
These competencies were a significant asset to the Council at a time of significant resource constraints, providing the essential capacity and skillsets required to undertake such a technically focused baselining and modelling analysis. Project Centre took on this challenge and delivered well and to the satisfaction of the Council and external funders.
The City of Edinburgh Council
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