NEW PATENT OFFERS SAFE OVERHEAD DEPLOYMENT FOR ON-STREET VEHICLE CHARGING

Sales of electric vehicles are booming; the major car manufacturers are announcing their latest all-electric models in a rush to the market. By 2035 all new vehicles on the road will be battery powered, raising very real questions about how the average motorist will charge their car.

This may not be a problem for vehicle owners with driveways and garages, but for much of our housing stock, on-street parking is still the only option. Now a British developer has come up with a new approach to the deployment of charging equipment which effectively rules out the safety problems inherent in trailing wires across roads and pavements.

The concept has been patented and the patent is being offered for sale to manufacturers, retailers and other bodies interested in bringing the project to market.

Conventional charging solutions present significant trip hazards and the potential for costly litigation. The new concept is designed to carry a charging cable safely above head height to the vehicle. It's quick, retractable and easy to deploy, using a durable screw driven operation to extend and retract the arm carrying the cable.  When not in use, it simply retracts back into a sleeve which houses the mechanism.

It's out of the way, doesn't impede pedestrians and is unobtrusive, with freestanding and wall mounted options suitable for both broad and narrow pavements. The patent granted covers the UK, Europe and Scandinavia including Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Developer Adrian Lowes explains the background to the project. "We carried out intensive R&D work into the potential for overhead deployment as a working solution. Our design has now been granted a patent with a very extensive, broad set of claims making it difficult to circumvent and easy to develop whilst maintaining protection."

The Overhead Charger concept provides a simple solution to what will be a growing problem. Manufacturers and retailers interested in bringing to market on-street charging solutions should contact:-

OHD Charging

Part of the BE Group Ltd

30 Bolling Road

Bradford BD4 7BT
 
Web:  ohdcharging.com 
Email:  patent@ohdcharging.com
Tel:  01274 309 071