Bedford Borough to install 260 EV sockets with Connected Kerb, targeting 900-plus total under LEVI funding
By Eve
Bedford Borough Council has partnered with Connected Kerb to deploy an initial 260 EV charging sockets across Bedford, Kempston and surrounding villages, focusing on areas without off-street parking. The rollout is funded by the Government's Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, with the council planning to expand the network to more than 900 sockets in total to meet growing demand. Connected Kerb will install, maintain and manage the charging infrastructure on behalf of the council's Highways Engineering team.
Why it matters
The 260-socket first phase and 900-plus socket target signal a substantial procurement opportunity in a borough prioritising on-street charging for residents without driveways. CPOs and installers should note the LEVI-backed, council-led model with a single operator managing the network, a structure likely to be replicated in similar local authorities.
Source
- Original title
- “Helping drivers go green with new EV charging points”
- Published
- 27 July 2026
- Updated
- 28 July 2026
In this story
- Topic
- EV Charging
- Place
- United Kingdom
Related news
Lime commits £886,857 to fund 586 e-bike parking bays across nine London boroughs
Lime has allocated £886,857 to nine London boroughs, including Greenwich, Lambeth and Hackney, to create or expand 586 shared e-bike parking bays in response to pavement crowding. The operator says it has now helped fund more than 3,400 parking bays across London as shared e-bikes account for one in 10 of the capital's 1 million daily cycling trips, according to Transport for London figures. Lime has also opened a fresh funding round for councils seeking to add more parking capacity.
Why it matters
The investment shows how operators are funding street infrastructure to support fleet growth, creating procurement opportunities for councils that need parking hardware and installation services. With shared e-bikes now representing 10% of London's daily cycling trips, the model may inform how other cities structure operator contributions to public realm works.
No commercial holsters exist for Type 2 male charging cable ends, installer confirms
An EV owner seeking a holster for the Type 2 male plug end that connects to a home charging point has been told no such product exists on the market, according to a 15 year EVSE installer responding to the query. The reader purchased a 15 metre Type 2 to Type 2 cable to bridge a 5 metre horizontal distance and 3 metre vertical step gap between their off street parking and charging point. All commercially available cable holsters are designed only for the female connector that plugs into vehicles.
Why it matters
The absence of holsters for supply side cable ends highlights a product gap in the residential charging accessories market, particularly for installations where cable management across uneven terrain or vertical distances is required. Installers and equipment suppliers may find demand for bespoke cable storage solutions in properties with non standard parking configurations.
SP Mobility integrates over 1,000 ChargEco charging points into single network in Singapore
SP Mobility is integrating more than 1,000 public charging points from ChargEco into its network following an acquisition earlier in 2026, with the transition running from 5 October to the end of December. The staged rollout covers locations across Geylang, Kallang, Marine Parade, Downtown Core, Tampines, Woodlands, Punggol and Jurong West, allowing drivers to access chargers through a single app and SP Mobility's ChargeUP Rewards programme. Existing ChargEco chargers remain accessible via the ChargEco app until each location completes its transition.
Why it matters
The consolidation creates Singapore's largest EV charging network under one operator, simplifying access for drivers and potentially setting a template for market consolidation in other dense urban markets. For charge point operators and platform providers, it signals how acquisition led integration can reduce app fragmentation and improve utilisation across merged networks.