West of England Partnership selected Alfen to implement charging infrastructure for electric vehicles

The West of England Partnership selected Alfen to revamp the region's electric vehicle charging network and accelerate the uptake of zero or low emission vehicles. Alfen’s partner Siemens is responsible for installing and servicing the charging stations, while Alfen’s technology partner, ChargePoint Services, is responsible for operating the chargers.

The city council of Bristol has joined forces with the local authorities in Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset to upgrade the current network of charging stations for electric vehicles ('Source West'). In 2020, an additional 120 new charging stations will be added and that is just the beginning.

The project resulted from a study in 2019 in which current and potential EV owners were asked what the future network should look like and how it should be run, managed and supported. The study showed that EV owners desire more and reliable charging stations in more regulated and safer places. 

The new charging network is financed by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) which granted the four authorities in the West of England Partnership £7.1 million in subsidy as part of the Go Ultra Low West programme. The project’s aim is to promote the uptake of electric vehicles, including plug-in hybrids, across the region.