Phase two of Go Ultra Low Oxford will be starting this spring – helping to provide further electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions for Oxford residents who do not have off-street parking.
According to the latest DVLA data, in January 2023, almost half (49.88%) of vehicles newly registered in Oxfordshire were electric, the highest uptake figures in the UK.
However, data also shows that 46% of Oxford households do not have access to offstreet parking, such as a driveway or garage, with residents having to park on the street. This can be a barrier when deciding to change to an electric vehicle.
Go Ultra Low Oxford, which first started in 2017, aims to tackle this by trialling different charging technologies for residents and car clubs across Oxford without access to off-street parking.
The project was established as one of the first on-street EV charging pilots in the world, and has been described by the University of Oxford as having “global scientific significance”.
Phase one, which took place from July 2017 to June 2019, saw a mix of 43 lamppost, bollard and cable gulley chargers delivered across Oxford. In 2021, some of the bollard chargers were moved from the pavement onto build-out islands in the parking bays.
Now, the Council is about to launch phase two of the project, which will build upon the learnings on phase one and provide charging facilities for up to 1600 people through further chargers and cable gullies installed across the city for residents and car clubs.
The chargers will be installed in a mix of on-street locations and residential charging hubs in car parks close to residential areas. This mix will help to avoid street clutter and keep pavements accessible, while providing EV charging within walking distance for people who park on the street.
The majority of the installations are expected to take place in late 2023 and early 2024.
The project has been made possible by the £800,000 grant that the City Council secured from the Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council.
Residents who would like their street to be considered for an electric charging point in phase two of the project, commencing in Spring 2023, can continue to express their interest on the Go Ultra Low website.
Lamp post chargers upgrades
Since completing phase one, the Council has been working to upgrade its legacy chargers to make them more reliable, including opening up use of the chargers to members of the public on a Pay As You Go basis – ahead of phase two of the project.
As part of these upgrades, seven lamppost charging points, which were temporarily removed due to operational and technological reasons, will be reinstated and located in key locations around the city where electric vehicle charging demand has grown.
The new lamppost charging points locations are:
- Latimer Road No. 47 (Car club)
- Carlton Road No. 47
- Carlton Road No. 33
- Jackson Road No. 46
- Whitehouse Road (two chargers)
- East Street (Car Club)
Work to move and install the chargers will take place in March.
Both Go Ultra Low Oxford participants and members of the public will be able to use the chargers. Existing users will automatically be able to use the chargers as normal. New users can charge by scanning the QR code on the charge point to 'pay as you go' or by downloading the ubitricity app.
Parking restrictions at the new locations will remain unchanged. However, some locations may need traffic regulation orders in the future – this will be assessed and consulted on before implementation.
EV charging in Oxford
Last year, the Council delivered 42 new charging points at the Energy Superhub Oxford located at the Redbridge Park & Ride as well as a number of rapid and fast chargers around the city, such as Headington car park and Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre.
In July 2022, the Council approved the Oxford EV Infrastructure Strategy to deliver fair and equitable EV charging for all who live, work and visit Oxford. This strategy works with the county-wide Oxfordshire EV Infrastructure Strategy, and includes a shared approach to on-street charging for residents with limited or no access to home charging.
“In order to encourage more people to adopt electric vehicles we need to break down some of the barriers to their use. The Go Ultra Low Oxford programme aims to address some of these issues for residents living in homes without off-street parking. After the success and learnings from phase one, I am delighted that we will soon be entering phase two of the project. If you are a resident who would like to get involved, then I encourage you to apply.”
Councillor Louise Upton, Cabinet Member for Health and Transport at Oxford City Council
“Our county has the highest uptake for EVs in the country, which is why getting the infrastructure in place for people to charge them is crucial. We are delighted to be involved in the expansion of this trial in Oxford and look forward to seeing the results.”
Councillor Pete Sudbury, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment at Oxfordshire County Council
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