How farms can help meet electric vehicle charging demands

The RAC estimates around 1.1m fully electric vehicles (EVs) are on UK roads, and with sales of new petrol and diesel cars set to end by 2035, that figure is likely to increase significantly.

The charging network is expanding, with almost 60,000 public charging points in March this year. This is 47% more than a year earlier, according to industry figures.

However, the infrastructure is failing to keep pace with EV numbers, and is still focused on urban areas.

As demand for charging stations increases, farms could play a role in expanding the network.

See also: More farm diversification ideas and case studies

“It’s still very early days, but we do think there’s a big added-value service here for the farming community,” NFU chief adviser for renewable energy and climate change, Jonathan Scurlock, says.

“It won’t be for everyone, but it will work for some.”

Farms with accessible sites close to main roads or motorway junctions are likely to be best placed for larger-scale, developer-led sites, but there are other opportunities, especially as publicly available maps (e.g. Zap Map, ChargeFinder, and others) allow easy navigation to the nearest charging station.

“Farms that already have some form of diversification, such as a farm shop, holiday let or campsite, are likely to be well placed to consider providing EV charging, and we are already seeing some pioneers install chargers,” says Dr Scurlock.

Careful planning required

NFU Energy’s Tom Ovenden says farm-based opportunities vary in scale from single, domestic-type chargers, to rapid chargers akin to those found on a purpose-built forecourt (see table).

Simple slow charging

At the lower end of the spectrum, the 7kW domestic charger is relatively cheap and straightforward to install, typically costing £500-1,000 for each charge point, and can run off a single phase domestic supply.

Such chargers generally take six to eight hours to max out an average-size family car with a 40-50 kWh battery, so are best suited to the home or workplaces where people stay for longer periods or overnight (such as a farm with holiday accommodation or commercial units).

However, such chargers are of little value to customers of a farm shop, for example, where the length of stay is typically 30-90 minutes.

Fast chargers

In such situations, a higher capacity “fast” or “rapid” charger is needed, perhaps capable of delivering 20 kWh (half a standard EV car battery’s worth), or more, while the customer is on-site.

Tom says a typical 22kW charger unit might cost around £2,000 to buy, but total installation cost will vary widely depending on site requirements, such as needing additional groundworks, cabling, and so on. Larger chargers also require a three-phase electricity supply.

There are many other practical considerations when installing a charging point and associated infrastructure (see panel), so careful planning is needed.

Rapid charging

High capacity, “ultra-fast” chargers of more than 150 kW and up to 350 kW, are available on some purpose-built forecourts, but can only be used on EVs with larger batteries designed to take high charge rates, such as top-end Teslas, Porsches, or electric HGVs.

The rollout of rapid and ultra-rapid charging is generally the preserve of larger companies, like BP Pulse, Shell Recharge, Gridserve, InstaVolt, Zest, and Osprey, but there may be opportunities for farmers to lease land to a developer wanting to build an electrical charging forecourt or service station-level enterprise.

“There are companies actively looking for suitable sites, especially on land close to major trunk routes,” says farming and renewables consultant, James Miles-Hobbs.

Site requirements might include:

• Strong customer demand, such as close to main roads, centres of population, visitor attractions or amenities
• Opportunity to fill gaps in the existing network
• Close to a good electricity supply with available grid capacity
• Accessible for traffic.

“Leasing arrangements are very similar in nature to those for large-scale solar and battery storage, typically with a heads of terms, option to lease and lease agreement,” says James.

“Again, they’re long-term agreements, paying a base rent [for each] EV charging unit.

“Many are a development over time, where, for example, 12 charging points are installed first, but the final development may go up to 30 or 36.

“From the landowner’s viewpoint, make sure there is provision for rent to increase in proportion to income from the site.”

Developers will be responsible for conducting all feasibility assessments and other works required to build and operate the project, so leasing land is fairly “hands-off” for the landowner.

Another future opportunity for higher capacity charging (150 kW), may be for farms to provide a charge point for electric HGVs, such as milk tankers, grain lorries or delivery trucks, Dr Scurlock says.

Discussions are ongoing with milk processors, National Grid and the Freight Transport Association and others as to how this might work.

Grid constraints

One of the biggest issues for any farm wanting to install an EV charger, or lease land for larger projects, is grid connection and load capacity, as anything beyond the small capacity charge point (typically 22 kW upwards) will require Distribution Network Operator (DNO) approval.

“A farm shop running a few chillers might have an existing import capacity of say 100-150 kW, for example, so even if it’s only putting in one or two rapid chargers, it may be asking to more than double its import supply,” says James.

Costly grid upgrades may be needed in some cases, so it is worth considering technical solutions to mitigate grid constraints, he adds.

This could include using renewables – principally solar plus battery storage – to generate a proportion of electricity on-site, although this increases capital outlay.

Typically, roof-mounted solar PV costs around £800-900 for each kW of installed capacity, while battery storage is nearer £500/kW.