Case Study – Mer works with Eastleigh Borough Council on EV Charging

Mer has installed eight chargers across four sites in Eastleigh, Hampshire, to support Eastleigh Borough Council’s journey towards carbon neutrality by 2025.

Client: Eastleigh Borough Council

Geographical Area: Southeast of England

The Background

With a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2025, Eastleigh Borough Council were seeking opportunities to accelerate their sustainability efforts. Transport formed a part of their Climate and Environmental Emergency Action Plan, and the Council made a wider commitment to support public access to sustainable transport infrastructure.

The Solution

Phase 1 of the development is now complete, with 8 new Mer charge points across 16 bays located at four sites, powered by zero carbon, 100% renewable energy solely from hydro, wind, and solar sources.

Residents and visitors can now find one ultra-rapid 150kW charger, three rapid 50kW chargers, and four dual fast 22kW chargers across the Aldi Car Park at Chestnut Avenue Retail Park, the Eastleigh Bus Station at Romsey Road Car Park, Channon Retail Park and Places Leisure Centre.

Karl Anders, Managing Director at Mer UK, says, “72% of local councils are yet to release a strategy for supporting the switch to electric mobility. And many local councils feel unprepared and unsupported for the UK’s transition to electric. Mer is already well-established in Europe, and we are working with local authorities to deliver simple, sustainable, and accessible EV charging solutions across the UK.

“Working with a Borough Council like Eastleigh that is prioritising the planet by tackling climate change and driving EV adoption for residents is an encouraging step forward to meeting 2030 targets.”

Mer’s charging infrastructure provides sustainable transport solutions for businesses and local communities, fitting with the Council’s environmental strategy and supporting their goal to reduce air quality issues in the borough.

“Working with a Borough Council like Eastleigh that is prioritising the planet by tackling climate change and driving EV adoption for residents is an encouraging step forward to meeting 2030 targets.”

Karl Anders, Mer UK Managing Director

Councillor Rupert Kyrle, Eastleigh’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, commented, “We know that access to charging points and speed of charging are major barriers to more people going electric. The installation of these eight new electric vehicle charging points in four of our car parks will make a big difference to addressing these barriers. We’re excited to be working with Mer to improve access to cleaner, greener forms of transportation in the Borough.”

Due to the success of the existing sites, plans are already underway for Phase 2 of Mer’s development with the Council. The upcoming plans will see the upgrade of current sites with additional chargers, as well as the expansion of the Mer charging infrastructure across a further 8 sites. Amongst the new locations for development are multi-storey carparks and country parks.