A project to provide electric vehicle charging using renewable energy for the two Harbury e-Wheels EVs and for local residents without off road parking. If by 2030 most people are likely to be driving EVs’ there will be many in our community unable to recharge at home because they live in terraced houses with no off-road personal parking. The source of power will be a mix of renewable grid energy and solar PV linked to a battery energy store. In time more on site renewable energy may come from a new generation vertical axis wind turbine. Any income from the project will go towards Harbury e-Wheels running costs.
The project was initially enabled by two grants from the Rural Community Energy Fund, awarded by the Midlands Energy Hub, the first for a feasibility study, the second for business development. By 2023 we had a project that was ready to be realised. The large funding needed proved a barrier to progress until we teamed up with Warwickshire County Council, giving us access to funding from the government Low Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Fund. The project is now close to becoming a reality, which will make it one of very few rural EV charging stations in England, if not the only one.