A Bedale company has shown Rishi how its innovative damage-resistant electric vehicle charger works.
EVS Energy says the Bedale Bendy Bollard - recently installed in Northallerton's Applegarth car park - is vehicle charger capable of withstanding the impact of a truck.
The new charging bollards have been introduced as part of a half million-pound Hambleton District Council project which aims to improve council owned car parks across the district.
Rishi said: “I’m very pleased to see a local company designing an innovative product for charging the growing number of electric vehicles on our roads which blends well with its surroundings and is capable of withstanding a significant impact.”
EVS Energy founder Ian Goodwin demonstrated to Rishi how the bollard worked using a modern electric vehicle and a classic Morris Minor converted to run on electricity.
Mr Goodwin said EVS Energy was keen to address challenges with current charging infrastructure which wasn’t always in keeping with UK towns and cityscapes, took up excessive pedestrian space and could easily be damaged by low impact vehicle collisions.
He added that the Bendy Bedale Bollard was a fast destination charger, designed to blend in with existing street furniture. It is the most robust EV Charger in the UK; a fully flexible, damage resistant product which is able to withstand a truck driving over it.
EVS Energy Product Manager Alex Goodwin said: “The UK needs charging solutions that are robust and convenient. Drivers increasingly need chargers to be at their journey’s destinations: in towns, cities and workplaces. We see this product as the ideal solution for the UK’s fast charging needs.”
Charging bollards are also set to be introduced into other car parks across the Hambleton district as the project roll out continues.
As part of the car park improvement project new state-of-the- art solar powered pay and display machines have also been installed and the size of car parking bays has been increased. Coach parking has been introduced into Bridge Street car park in Bedale and Millgate Car Park in Thirsk has been resurfaced.
Leader of Hambleton District Council, Councillor Mark Robson said: “This is really good news for both residents and visitors and the timing couldn’t be better as we start to move out of lockdown and slowly back to normality. Our aim is simple – to provide a better parking experience for users making it easier to shop, socialise and spend time in our market towns.”