ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE (EVCI) STRATEGY: CALDERDALE AND HUDDERSFIELD NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, responsible for running two major hospitals and various community health sites in West Yorkshire, faced the complex task of implementing Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) across its facilities.

This initiative was driven by the need to align with NHS and national net-zero targets, as well as to accommodate the increasing adoption of electric vehicles. 

This initiative was driven by several factors:

• Alignment with NHS Net-Zero Targets: The NHS has set ambitious goals to reach net-zero by 2040 for directly controlled emissions and by 2045 for influenced emissions. The Trust needed to ensure its EVCI strategy would contribute significantly to these targets.
• Increasing EV Adoption: With the rise in electric vehicle usage, the Trust recognised the growing need for charging facilities for staff, patients, and visitors.
• Infrastructure Constraints: The project required a thorough understanding of the existing electrical infrastructure across multiple sites to determine the feasibility and scale of EVCI implementation.
• Long-term Sustainability: The Trust's own Green Plan (2021-2026) necessitated a strategy that would support sustainable development over an extended period.
• Financial Considerations: The Trust needed to balance the implementation of EVCI with budget constraints, requiring a clear understanding of return on investment and various financing options.
• Operational Continuity: The EVCI strategy needed to be implemented without disrupting the critical day-to-day operations of the hospitals and health centres.

The project scope encompassed multiple sites, including Calderdale Royal Hospital, Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, and various community health centres. The Trust needed to balance the implementation of EVCI with their existing electrical infrastructure and operational demands. Additionally, they required a phased approach that would support their long-term sustainability goals as outlined in their five-year Green Plan (February 2021 – February 2026).

A key complexity of the project was integrating the EVCI strategy with the NHS's ambitious net-zero targets. 

The Trust needed to achieve an 80% reduction in directly controlled emissions by 2028 to 2032 and reach net-zero by 2040. This required a solution that was not only technically feasible but also aligned with the Trust's broader sustainability objectives and financial considerations.

To address these challenges, the Trust engaged Bureau Veritas to develop a comprehensive EVCI strategy that would provide a roadmap for implementation while considering all these complex factors.