Solar PV and electric car chargers
The perfect partnership
Brighton Energy Co-op is installing electric car charge points alongside solar PV so you can now charge up your car with locally produced, community owned, green electricity.
How do I find and use the BEC charge points?
As we add new charge points to our network we will put them on Zap Map, Plug Share and regional maps such as Electric Brighton and Pod Point’s own map. Zap Map and Pod Point also show the cost to charge, opening hours and current availability of the charge points at each site. There are no subscription or membership fees, just pay for the electricity you use.
Charging is controlled through the Pod Point app which can be downloaded from the usual app stores.
We’re also keen to hear about your experience using the chargers so feel free to give us your feedback by clicking on the button.
New BEC EV charge points at Shoreham Port
BEC is continuing its roll out of EV charge points, with the most recent at Maritime House Business Centre at Shoreham Port. Charging your electric car whilst you’re busy doing something else really is the most convenient way to charge. The building offers managed...
Carden Primary School joins the BEC EV charge point network
Brighton Energy Co-op has installed another EV charge point, this time at Carden Primary School. Any charging during daylight hours comes straight from the BEC owned solar PV on site. This helps the school ensure maximum usage of their on-site solar, generating...
6 electric car charge points for the University of Brighton
The BEC electric car charge point network continues to grow. We've installed 3 twin charge points at the University of Brighton, 2 at the Falmer campus and a further one at Varley Halls of Residence. BEC has solar PV on the roofs of several of the University...
Our first electric car charge point is live at Bolney Wine Estate
Now you can top up your car whilst you top up your wine rack, as our first solar-linked electric car charge point is now live at Bolney Wine Estate, just off the A23/A272 in West Sussex. Over half of the electricity used annually by the vineyard already comes from the...
Which charge points are in the BEC network?
We have selected Pod Point as our charge point technology partner. Pod Point already have 1000’s of charging points installed in homes, workplaces and public spaces across the UK and is regularly voted one of the top charge points in user surveys.
Which cars can use the network and how long will my car take to charge?
Pod Point charge points are compatible with all plug in vehicle brands
How long? Well, it depends on the amount of charge you need and the size of your car’s battery. We’re installing fast chargers (7kW & 22kW) which are ideal for topping up if you’re just visiting for a short time or a doing a full charge if you’re there all day e.g. at work.
Detailed instructions for using the Pod Point chargers are available here
Tell us your thoughts about electric vehicles and charging in general
We’re keen to understand more about when and why people make the switch to electric vehicles. So why not fill in our quick survey
Background
In Summer 2019, BEC was awarded funding by the Power to Change Next Generation Community Energy Programme to identify suitable sites with existing solar PV and install charge points for electric cars. As the government’s Feed in Tariff has now ended, we need to find alternative income streams for future community energy projects. Therefore in this initial set of charge point installations, we’ll determine whether charging electric cars will provide sufficient additional income to make community owned solar and charge points a suitable combination in the future.
We’ll also be talking to members of the local communities at each site to understand their transport needs and see what benefits community-owned charge points could bring.
Finally, we’ll be developing the charge point and solar business model as a template package that can be rolled out by us and other community energy schemes nationwide.
Can we have a BEC community car charge point?
We are looking for more sites to install solar PV and charge points, so if you have a suitable roof or space of at least 500m2 get in touch at damian@brightonenergy.org.uk