Subsurface Technology for Electric Pathways (STEP)

"Significant EV adoption is crucial for the UK to meet its climate targets and tackle air pollution in cities. Battery costs and consumer acceptance are improving, but one of the remaining barriers inhibiting rapid uptake of EVs is lack of public recharging infrastructure. A substantial 8 million vehicle owners in the UK today do not have access to off-street parking and therefore cannot charge an EV at home.

There are several approaches to this problem, however each have drawbacks:

* Standalone on-street chargepoint - often inconveniently located (i.e. not targeted at residents), expensive, and bulky equipment presents access issues
* Lamppost charging - cheap but limited to lampposts close to the road (or cables have to cross pavements, be fed underneath or slotted into trenches). Power restricted to 2-5kW
* Wire trenches - slotting cable in the pavement between chargepoint in home and car. Needs users parked directly outside their house, which can't be guaranteed
* Pop-up and wireless charging - in early stages of development
* Rapid charge hubs - no evidence yet that this is a solution for residents

The 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 footprint or street clutter - there is only equipment on the street when the vehicle is charging. To charge an EV, the user inserts the 'lance' (which is stored in the vehicle) into the connector, and the other end plugs into the car.

Trojan plans on fitting entire streets with the technology, with each connector placed about 5m apart, so that no matter where a consumer parks on the street, they will be able to charge their EV. Another advantage is that 20 connectors can run in parallel, requiring only one grid connection, which reduces costs and enables more effective grid management.

In order for the technology to be successfully implemented, it first needs to: be tested and trialled; incorporate feedback from industry experts and potential users into the design; and a viable business model needs to be developed. This project involves the study of these aspects, as well as other commercial, user, urban and technical feasibility aspects, including appropriate certification methods. Outputs of the study will be used to develop the plan for the demonstrator trial, which will then prove viability of the system in real life."