Leading the charge as Joju partners with Islington Council

Ambition. Funding. Focus. Islington Council has all three and is on a journey to electrify its fleet. The council is in the process of reducing the size of its fleet and switching more vehicles to electric. To achieve this, they need robust EV charging infrastructure. Joju Charging is partnering with the council to drive this change infrastructure upgrades will largely provide rapid and fast charging functions for council services, which are now on a renewable electricity tariff. The vehicle charging infrastructure Joju has installed, maximises charging at times of the day when renewable power is supplying a greater proportion of grid electricity. Vehicle batteries may also be used to help power council buildings during peak periods. These solutions will assist the electricity grid with the transition to a greater proportion of renewables. By pioneering in the UK with the scheduled installations, Islington is helping to create a greener future, and the new EV Charging Infrastructure has also meant financial savings have been achieved.

The pioneering infrastructure improvements that Joju are making are pivotal in Islington Council’s efforts to create a greener borough, where air quality is improved and where streets are more welcoming for all.

Let’s go back to June 2019. Islington Council declared a climate emergency and developed a comprehensive strategy to achieve net zero carbon status by 2030, with the aim of building a greener, healthier, more equal Islington. Primary focus areas include reducing air pollution, addressing the climate emergency, and reducing health disparities. With a resolute mission to protect the vulnerable and improve health and wellbeing within the community, Islington are working tirelessly to combat climate change. Creating a greener fleet is a key part of this.

The council’s electric fleet includes everything from cars and small vans, sweeping street vehicles, fully electric cage-tippers, and community transport buses, through to 26-tonne refuse collection vehicles. Joju Charging is designing and installing the necessary EV Charging Infrastructure to support them. AC and DC charging units are being installed across various council sites, exceeding expectations by completing the work in just over a year of project managing the council’s infrastructure programme. The council has now tasked Joju with upgrading additional sites too.

Savings in the making

Islington’s fleet accounts for an estimated 2.3 per cent of transport CO2 emissions in the borough. By fully electrifying it, and by reducing the overall size of the fleet, the total reduction in CO2 is estimated at just under 3,000 tonnes per annum – equating to planting the equivalent of five football pitches of woodland in offsetting terms.

The various infrastructure upgrades Joju has carried out so far were designed to reduce CO2 emissions and local pollution levels of NOx, PM2.5 and PM10. Both NOx and particulate matter are major contributors to air pollution and can cause respiratory problems and other health issues, particularly in vulnerable populations. This is a key focus for the council.

With the very real climate emergency pressing, Islington has already taken great strides – introducing 80 full battery electric vehicles to the fleet and reducing emissions by around 300 tonnes per annum. The

As Tony Ralph, Islington Council’s director for environment and commercial operations, and Chris Demetriou, assistant director of corporate fleet and transport, put it: “Here in Islington, we’re determined to tackle the climate emergency, improve air quality, and create a more equal borough for all. Creating a smaller, greener fleet is vital in our efforts to make Islington a greener place, and our partnership with Joju is hugely valuable in helping us to transition to a more environmentally friendly fleet. Clearly, there is much more to be done as we work to tackle the climate emergency, and we look forward to working with Joju and other partners to achieve that.”

Joju Charging is proud to be supporting Islington Council with their pioneering project from an EV Charging Infrastructure perspective. If you would like our help to design and install the necessary infrastructure for your fleet electrification, please do get in touch with our head of EV charging, Graeme Patton. L