In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

• London trials on-street EV chargers that sit flush with the sidewalk.
• Royal Dutch Shell buys Inspire Clean Energy to grow its clean energy business.
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Embedded flat EV chargers

Electric vehicle chargers that are embedded into and flush with the sidewalk are now officially live for testing in the London Borough of Brent. The chargers have no permanent raised street furniture at the sidewalk edge:

Scottish startup company Trojan Energy – “flat and flush EV charging” – has designed the system for those without access to off-street parking, garages, or driveways, which is a major impediment for charging, not only in London, but in most cities around the world.

Fifteen flat EV chargers are installed in parallel from one electricity network connection, with power distributed across the chargers. London’s electricity network operator UK Power Networks has connected the chargers to the energy system. The user inserts a personal lance into the charger, which then locks it in place. Once charged, the lance can be removed by key fob or smartphone and stored in the car.

Five Trojan Energy charge points have been installed on Mortimer Road for a small group of participants to test. The full trial of 150 charge points across London’s Brent and Camden will then go live later this year.

The system has been designed with input from Disability Rights UK to improve safety for all street users.

UK transport minister Rachel Maclean said:

This project is a great example of how technology is being used to solve a real-world problem to  ensure that our EV infrastructure fits in seamlessly in our local towns and cities. This is crucial as we  build back greener and encourage more people to make the switch, which is why I’m delighted this government is backing its delivery.

Royal Dutch Shell buys Inspire Clean Energy

British-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch Shell announced on Tuesday that it’s buying Santa Monica, California, and Philadelphia-headquartered clean energy retailer Inspire Clean Energy to grow its US renewable business. The purchase is expected to close in fourth quarter 2021.

Patrick Maloney, founder and CEO of Inspire, said:

We share the belief that renewable energy should be accessible to everyone and Shell’s resources, reach, and ownership of many aspects of the energy value chain will help us scale and advance our mission.

Inspire’s website home page states, “We believe energy should be 100% renewable.” So Shell’s purchase is likely motivated by the fact that in May, a Dutch court ordered the company to cut its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels. Prior to the ruling, Shell’s emissions reduction target was 20% by 2030.

Read more:

Photo: Darren Cool/Trojan Energy

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