SOUTH West College was recently announced as one of seven program partners in a new initiative to improve access to public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) in order to reduce CO2 emissions.
The college’s involvement is part of the FASTER project, which will launch 73 fast charging points for electric vehicles in Northern Ireland, the border region of the Republic of Ireland and western Scotland thanks to 6.4 million euros as part of EU special programs The INTERREG VA program by Body.
The project is working with local and district councils in the three jurisdictions to identify suitable locations for this much-needed infrastructure that will help support public charging access for electric vehicles.
At the local level, South West College is leading the behavioral change aspect of the project, developing advertising campaigns and initiatives to address public concerns about the existing EV charging infrastructure, and producing materials to support the transition to low-emission vehicles.
The FASTER charging network will be gradually deployed in jurisdictions over the next 18 months, supported by a series of public awareness and community engagement events.
A public survey was recently conducted to analyze current driver behavior and public attitudes towards electric vehicles in each of the project’s three jurisdictions, with 1,500 responses that helped steer much of public engagement activities into the future.
Regarding the role of South West College in the initiative, Donal Monaghan, FASTER Project Officer, said: “The college is delighted to be a partner in the FASTER project.
“The college is one of the UK’s leading educational institutions in the field of renewable energy research and has a wealth of experience working with project partners across Europe on new technologies and sustainability.
“Electric vehicle sales are growing locally and globally, and we need to make sure that the infrastructure to support this transition is in place to help drivers overcome their fears.
“With the UK government looking to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel powered cars by 2030, now is the time to introduce local and regional drivers to the benefits of electric vehicles, which in turn will help reduce carbon emissions and the worst effects mitigate climate change, ”he added.
