How EV Drivers are helping to transform public charging
Earlier this month, the world celebrated World EV Day™—a moment to reflect on just how far the electric vehicle movement has come, and the work still ahead to make the transition truly inclusive. UK public charging company, Connected Kerb, sees every day, not just World EV Day™, as an opportunity to drive that transition forward. And we know the key lies in working hand-in-hand with the people at the heart of it all: EV drivers themselves.
From the launch of their smart charging feature to their ongoing collaboration with councils and communities, one principle has guided every decision made – putting EV drivers at the centre of every action. By listening, learning, and co-creating with drivers, the firm is building a charging network that works not just for today, but for the future of sustainable mobility.
Building smart charging with community input
Connected Kerb’s smart charging story began in 2020 with the Agile Streets trial—the UK’s first public smart charging programme. This provided the blueprint for making cheaper, greener charging work at scale. Fast forward to April 2024, and Connected Kerb officially launched smart charging across their network. The results? Pretty amazing. Today, more than 2,800 of Connected Kerb’s charge points are smart-enabled, helping drivers save up to £3.40 every time they plug in and charge cleaner every single day.
What started as a pilot is now scaling up fast, with Connected Kerb already working with 27 councils across the UK – including fresh launches in Coventry, Barking & Dagenham, and Havering. The firm is aiming for 5,000 smart-enabled charge points by the end of 2025. That’s thousands more drivers getting cheaper, greener charging right where they need it.
Bringing communities along for the journey
No one knows local streets better than the people who live on them, which is why Connected Kerb launched its “Request a Charge Point” campaign, allowing residents to request exactly where they’d like to see chargers. So far, Connected Kerb has received over 3,100 requests through this route alone. Add in their partnership with Vauxhall’s “Electric Streets of Britain” campaign, and that’s another 12,700 requests – clear proof that communities want to play an active role in shaping their charging future.
Working closely with councils and forward-thinking EV manufacturers like Vauxhall Motors, Connected Kerb is facilitating meaningful conversations between residents and local authorities. These consultations reveal crucial insights such as which locations work best for residents, how chargers can fit alongside existing parking challenges, and what worries people most about going electric. By making sure those voices are heard, the industry can help ensure new infrastructure truly works for the communities it serves.
Making EV charging more affordable and accessible
The EV transition has to work for everyone, not just those with driveways. That’s why Connected Kerb is putting a huge focus on making charging affordable and accessible for renters, flat dwellers, and anyone who can’t charge at home.
Connected Kerb’s app and services are constantly evolving based on real feedback from these drivers, with the introduction of features like finding chargers nearby with live availability, transparent pricing so drivers can budget with confidence, and in-app and contactless payments for hassle-free charging.
The relationship with EV drivers doesn’t end when they download a CPO’s app or use their charging points. Connected Kerb has built feedback loops into every aspect of their service, from in-app surveys to NPS feedback, from direct customer support conversations to social media engagement. This constant stream of user insights drives an innovation roadmap.
Customer satisfaction is becoming an ever more crucial metric for public charging providers as competition between firms increases. In Connected Kerb’s recent ‘Rate Your Charge’ survey, customers rated Connected Kerb at 4.4 stars, whilst their Apple and Android apps stand at ratings of 4.7 and 4.6 stars respectively. Each app update is shaped by feedback, from making payments easier to improving accessibility and refining pricing models.
Supercharging the UK’s EV network at record pace
With the 2030 ZEV mandate breathing down our necks and new fossil fuelled cars soon getting the boot, we need charging infrastructure that actually works. Connected Kerb is not just throwing up new chargers and hoping for the best, they’re constantly fiddling with, upgrading, and improving the ones already out there.
While some companies are still figuring out their first hundred chargers, Connected Kerb is already in the process of upgrading thousands. Socket playing up? Swap it. Software being glitchy? Fix it. It’s proper hands-on stuff, and it happens faster than you’d think.
Connected Kerb is already at nearly 9,000 chargers installed and counting, with new ones popping up every week to meet the demand.
It’s a massive job, but that’s how Connected Kerb is ensuring that its customers can rely on them to get charged up and back on the road – today, next year, and long after everyone’s forgotten what petrol smelled like.
Building trust through transparency
Connected Kerb’s close relationship with users comes in the form of transparency. When making changes to their service, they explain why they do it. When working on new features, they share their progress. And finally, if something goes wrong, the firm communicates openly about the problem and the solution.
This transparency has built a level of trust that goes beyond a typical service provider relationship. Connected Kerb’s charging users become advocates, helping other drivers navigate the transition to electric vehicles by sharing their experiences with the company’s charge points.
The road ahead
The electric vehicle transition is still in its early stages, and there’s much work to be done. However, Connected Kerb remains confident that by maintaining a focus on user needs and community engagement, innovation can continue in ways that truly matter.
Every EV driver who takes the time to share feedback, every council meeting where residents voice their concerns, and every conversation about making charging more accessible helps fuel the mission to ensure that no one is left behind in the move to electric transport.
Looking to the future, these actions will help create charging networks that are not just smart and reliable, but truly inclusive and community-driven. Because when you put users at the centre of everything you do, innovation isn’t just about technology – it’s about building a better, more sustainable future together, one charge at a time.
