Anti-ICEing solution for electric vehicle charge points with no hardware requirements

An app-based anti-ICEing solution (blocking of an electric vehicle charge point by an Internal Combustion Engine vehicle) is proposed that allows motorists to capture photo/video evidence of the offence, and create digital evidence packs for automatic enforcement. Unlike sensor-based solutions, this approach has no upfront hardware costs for the charge point owner and is therefore financially viable in remote and/or low traffic areas.

This project shall uniquely investigate the legal ramifications of the proposed anti-ICEing solution, and develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to confirm technical feasibility.

ICEing denies revenue to the network operator or charge point owner, as well as denying the EV driver a charge. Furthermore, it is not always clear to whom the EV driver should report bay blocking incidents; this results in the offending driver going unpunished and repeating their behaviour in the future. Some anti-ICEing solutions exist in the form of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and ground-mounted sensors.

However, there is an inherently high hardware cost associated with these solutions, that makes the implementation slow and economically unviable, especially at more remote charge points. It is clear that there is a need for a low-cost means of identifying and prosecuting motorists who block EV charging infrastructure that may be rapidly deployed anywhere in the country.

This solution must not only be technically feasible, but legally feasible, e.g. conforming to GDPR and parking/charging legislation in both English and Scots Law. This is a matter that has largely been ignored for more innovative anti-ICEing solution concepts that do not rely on expensive hardware or the presence of a traffic warden or other official personnel.

The outcome of this legal review will provide valuable data and insight for other digital solutions in this sector and beyond, thus providing added value to a range of government-backed innovation projects that are of interest to DfT, Innovate UK and others.

The proposed solution consists of a low-cost approach that is designed to be the most effective, economically viable and easy-to-implement solution on the market. This consists of an app, which is the first anti-ICEing solution to leverage the user's smartphone and therefore has no upfront hardware costs for the charge point owner/operator. By utilising an unique digital approach to anti-ICEing, charging networks and owners can deploy this solution instantly without costly hardware and lengthy approval processes. There is provisional interest from several Local Authorities regarding a trial.