One of the UK’s leading universities, Kings College is expanding and updating its electric vehicle (EV) charging network with help from Mer.
The company won the contract put out to tender by King’s, to grow and modernise its network of EV chargers across multiple sites. This included replacing older charging points with smart chargers, adding provision in new locations, networking all the chargers and providing a back-office system for monitoring and reporting.
King’s College London sustainability officer Alexandra Hepple said: “We have our own growing EV fleet and increasingly our contractors also use electric vehicles, leading to higher demand for charging. Mer has done a fantastic job of creating a charging network that suits our needs today and also enables us to expand in years to come.”
Mer carried out extensive site surveys across the estate to identify utilisation rates of existing chargers. The team also pinpointed the optimal locations for additional charge points such as the new sports centre at Honour Oak Park in South London. In total it installed 15 AC charge points across eight sites – a mixture of 7kW and 22kW fast chargers.
Mer associate consultant Stevie Jones said: “King’s was an early adopter of EV charging, but those older chargers were very limited in terms of the information they could provide.
“We swapped out this older infrastructure for smart chargers that can be networked and easily managed via our Mer Connect platform. This gives the sustainability team full visibility of who is using the chargers and when, as well as providing data on the carbon saved compared to using diesel vehicles.”
