Electric vehicle charging points trial rolled out across Bruntwood’s network

Property company Bruntwood is to trial the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging points across its North West portfolio as part of Greater Manchester Local Energy Market Project (GM LEM).

In partnership with Pilot Group, a Manchester-based technology company that helps companies and governments become carbon neutral, Bruntwood will roll-out EV charging points across Greater Manchester as part of a 12 month trial from July 2021, with further deployment across the North West within the next two years.

The Plus+ charging points, which are commercial floor mounted dual-socket chargers, have been selected due to their simple, easy to use system. They will be available to Bruntwood customers and the general public, and those using the charging points can pay for sessions with contact and contactless payments, or via an e-wallet.

Craig Morley, energy manager at Bruntwood, said: “The property industry will be central to the push towards net zero carbon and the adoption of electric vehicles will be one of Greater Manchester’s – and the UK’s – key drivers of sustainability. However, the infrastructure needs to be in place to make them a success. That’s why we’re committed to supporting this project and ensuring the roll-out works for everyone.

“We’re also mindful of the need to constantly evolve on the sustainability front and not rest on our laurels. We’ll be continuing to work closely with GMCA on its Local Energy Market Project and our wider network over the coming years to ensure the return to work is green and we can make meaningful headway on our drive to become net zero carbon.”

The project will contribute to Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s (GMCA’s) ambition to make Manchester carbon neutral by 2038. It is also a key part of the GM Local Energy Market Project, which aims to revolutionise the use and distribution of energy across the region.

GMCA and Partners were awarded an Innovate UK grant in July 2020 to show how an integrated, whole system energy vision that addresses how energy is generated, traded, transported, supplied and used across the city region can be demonstrated in Greater Manchester. The project will take a place-based approach to energy system planning and develop a local energy market platform.

Councillor Neil Emmott, GMCA Lead for the Green City-Region, said: “It’s fantastic to see Bruntwood moving forward with their plans to install 12 smart electric vehicle charging points at their sites across our city-region with a project pipeline in place to deploy additional smart chargers across their portfolio of buildings in the coming months. The rollout of electric vehicle chargers is a key component of our vision for Greater Manchester’s Local Energy Market, which will revolutionise how energy is used, stored and distributed across the city-region.

“To meet our environmental ambitions and become carbon neutral by 2038 we need to move to a smarter energy system – one that supports low-carbon infrastructure and powers our homes, businesses and vehicles in a more sustainable way. This announcement from Bruntwood is a great step towards that goal.”

Archie MacPherson, group managing director at Pilot Group, added: “We’re looking forward to collaborating with Bruntwood on the installation of electric vehicle charging points as part of such an important project. The ability to charge cars at the workplace is a key enabler to the adoption of electric vehicles as towns, cities and businesses strive to reduce tailpipe emissions. The Pilot Group’s charging solution provides a user-friendly, contactless payment technology to make charging easier for customers.

“We are proud to help develop the infrastructure needed to support the transition to low-carbon transport as Greater Manchester aims for carbon neutrality by 2038. By doing so, we aim to make the Greater Manchester region safer, smarter and more sustainable.”

Bruntwood was the first commercial property developer to sign up to the UK Green Building Council’s Advancing Net Zero Carbon Commitment, with the target of operating at net zero carbon by 2030, in a move that recognised the role the property industry will play in creating sustainable environments.

The company has also worked alongside the Carbon Trust to define a set of science-based targets which will allow it to monitor and improve its output, and last year launched an Active Travel scheme in Manchester, encouraging people to travel via more sustainable and healthy methods.