Surrey County Council installs pop-up solar charging hub

Surrey County Council has installed a pop-up solar car park and electric vehicle charging hub at its depot centre in Merrow, Guildford.

The Papilio3 car park and electric vehicle (EV) charging hub by 3ti fulfilled Surrey’s need for EV charging infrastructure within a compact area at the site. Designed around a recycled shipping container, the installation was easily transported to the depot and lifted into place.

Combining local mains power with in-built solar generation, Surrey Councy Council will use Papilio3 to charge its growing electric vehicle fleet. It can charge 12 EVs at 7, 11 or 22kW simultaneously, considered to be ideal for destinations with two to five hour dwell times. The unit has an installed solar capacity of 19.3kWp and can produce up to 18MWh of electricity in year one, equivalent to 64,343 EV miles, saving 3.6 tCO2e.

Pre-fitted with a range of safety features, including motion lighting, CCTV and full accessibility for wheelchair users, Surrey Council is renting from 3ti on a three-year hire agreement.

Paul Wheadon, Strategic Contract Group Manager for the Council’s Highways and Transport Department said, “We’re delighted to have Papilio3 installed, which represents an important milestone in our effort to reduce emissions and expand our electric vehicle fleet.

“With charging capacity up to 22kW, multiple operational vehicles (when not in use) can be charged throughout the day, ensuring vehicles remain operational without the need for long dwell times on low-powered charging options. 

“As well as the benefit of generating solar power to charge our fleet, the nature of the structure means we have the flexibility to conveniently relocate the unit on the site if needed, unlike with other charging solutions.”

Ben Marchant, CEO at 3ti, adds, "The installation is enabling the council to expand its electric fleet and deliver on its commitments to securing a greener future by decarbonising the transport sector.”

To date, Papilio3 has been installed in a range of settings across the leisure, public, private, commercial and industrial sectors including Silverstone racetrack, Five Rivers Health & Wellbeing Centre in Wiltshire, Surrey Research Park and Raigmore Hospital in the Scottish Highlands.

The project is claimed to be the first in the world to trial a 12 charge point DC Smart Microgrid for CCS V2X based on ISO15118-20. The innovative set-up provides faster, bi-directional EV charging at speeds up to ±30 kW, with much higher power and round-trip energy efficiency than AC solutions.