Purpose

The report briefs the Executive
on the Electric Vehicle Charge Points (EVCP) being installed at the new Fareham
Live car park and to adopt a pricing strategy to be used to set the charging
tariff offered to customers.

 

As part of the £20m investment by
the Council into the regeneration of the town centre, Osborn Road multi-storey
car park is currently being demolished and will be replaced by a new surface
car park on the existing site.  The new
car park will be called Fareham Live car park. 
Four of the parking bays at the Fareham Live car park will be for
electric vehicles only and will have Electric Vehicle Charge points (EVCP)
installed.  In early 2024 the Council
appointed Joju Charging to supply, install and
operate the EVCPs.

 

The EVCPs use a back office
system called Hubeleon. The Hubeleon
system has an app which visitors can download to their device. Visitors can use
the app to pay for using the chargers. 
Other payment methods will be available and can be used instead of the app,
such as contactless payment, fuel cards, zap maps etc.

 

As the Council owns the EVCPs
being installed it can choose the charging tariff consumers receive.  Therefore, two pricing strategies have been put
forward for consideration.  These are:

 

·        
Cover direct costs only (consists of
installation and future renewal capital costs, Operation and Maintenance
contract costs, bank charges, electricity bill costs, and contribution to FBC
overheads to manage the EV spaces;

 

·        
Price at a 10% mark-up above direct costs.

 

Each strategy yields varying levels
of revenue and can be found in Table 1 in the Executive Briefing Paper.

 

The Council has the opportunity
to price at the bottom of the market average price whilst still covering its
direct costs.  This strategy would help
make the EVCPs at Fareham Live car park attractive to visitors and encourage
significant use, supporting both the Fareham Live venue and the wider town
centre.

 

The current Off-Street Parking
Places (Amendment 8) Order ensures that only electric vehicles connected to a
charge point can use the electric vehicle bays provided.

Decision

RESOLVED that the Executive:

 

(a)  approves the introduction of an electric
vehicle charging tariff for Fareham Live car park, which will be added to the
Council's Fees and Charges listings;

 

(b)  agrees pricing strategy A) (as set out in the
Executive Briefing Paper) to be used to set the charging tariff;

 

(c)  due
to price volatility, agrees that delegated authority be given to the Director
of Planning and Regeneration in consultation with the Section 151 Officer, to
adjust the charging tariff in line with the agreed pricing strategy, if and when necessary; and

 

(d)  receives
a further report which reviews the first 12 months of usage to inform whether
further EV chargers are to be fully installed.