Private EV charge point and car sharing platform wins rural mobility competition

An online platform that facilitates EV usage and car sharing in Derbyshire has been awarded £100,000 funding as winner of Midlands Connect’s rural mobility competition.

The platform proposed by low emission vehicle research consultancy Cenex, in partnership with Derbyshire County Council, will allow EV users across Derbyshire to ‘rent out’ their private charge points, giving motorists access to more chargers.

The platform, once developed, will also promote car sharing by providing opportunities for people to rent out their cars when they’re not using them, meaning that residents without their own private vehicle can get around more easily.

The project will encourage sustainable travel and open up opportunities for EV ownership to groups who may not have benefitted from access to local charging points before, particularly households without off-street parking.

The online platform will initially be targeted towards residents and local businesses, with hopes to expand to tourists in time.

Cenex and Derbyshire County Council will now use the prize money of £100,000 to further develop, test and trial the platform. Following the trial phase, should it be successful, it can then seek funding from either public or private sector sources for its widespread rollout.

Midlands Connect’s future of rural mobility competition received submissions from businesses which were asked to present new ideas that could help solve the social, environmental, and economic issues caused by poor connectivity in rural areas.

Midlands Connect CEO Maria Machancoses said, “Poor transport connectivity can be a challenge for rural communities, with residents often experiencing worse access to amenities and services such as schools, workplaces or hospitals. Our rural mobility competition was created to address these challenges and create innovative solutions that would enhance transport connectivity in isolated communities.”

All our finalists for the rural mobility competition produced innovative solutions to tackle rural mobility – picking one winner was very challenging. Although there could only be one winner, we will be sharing all information and experience with our partners so that they can set up similar pilot schemes if they wish to do so.

Robert Evans, CEO at Cenex, added, “Our digital mobility hub has the potential to change the way Derbyshire residents think about transport. By giving people access to information on services such as car sharing, we can improve transport connectivity and reduce harmful carbon emissions from road transport.

This platform also has the power to accelerate the transition to EVs by opening up access to more charging points locally, especially for people without a driveway who may otherwise find charging difficult.

“We are delighted to be announced as the winners of Midlands Connect’s rural mobility competition and are excited to develop the idea further with Derbyshire County Council.”