Royal College of Art tasked with making EV chargers as ‘recognisable as red post boxes’
The design could be seen on streets across the country from 2022.
The government has appointed a design team to create an ‘iconic British chargepoint’ for electric vehicles.
The Royal College of Art (RCA) and PA Consulting have been tasked with making the on-street chargers ‘as recognisable as the red post box or black cab’.
Set to be revealed in November in Glasgow at COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference, the chargepoints could begin to pop up across the country from 2022.
Clive Grinyer, head of service design at the RCA, said: “This is an opportunity to support the design of a future icon that will be part of our national culture as we move towards a sustainable future.
“The RCA has been at the forefront of shaping our products, mobility and services for the last 180 years. We are delighted to be playing a role in the design of the total service experience to ensure a usable, beautiful and inclusive design that is an excellent experience for all.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps added: “Excellent design plays a key role in supporting our transition to zero emission vehicles, which is why I want to see EV chargepoints that are as iconic and recognisable as the British phone box, London bus or black cab.”
The idea behind an ‘iconic’ design is to make chargepoints more recognisable for drivers, which it is hoped will create more awareness around electric vehicles.
Independent statistics from electric vehicle chargepoint mapping service Zap Map shows there are now over 25,000 public charging devices across the UK.
In July, official data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed electric vehicles represented one-sixth of sales in the month, while the year-to-date numbers were more than double what was seen last year.
