Studio BAD have worked in collaboration with University of Southampton to research, and achieved planning permission for fully off-grid electric charging within the Marwell Zoo customer car park, near Winchester in Hampshire.

Designed to deliver sustainable infrastructure to support the nationwide drive towards sustainable car charging, without adding a burden to the existing electrical grid, this project is a trail which we hope can be rolled out to more locations in the near future. This scheme is set to be live for three years, to test the unique, fully off grid electrical vehicle charging technology. Because of the temporary nature of the installation, the design does not involve the removal or alternation of any of the mature trees on the site, installing permanent foundations, or fixing, it has been designed to touch the ground lightly, and be removable.

In total the project will deliver over 20 car charging space, with solar panels installed on butterfly roofs, linked to battery storage, and a back up generator.

The design offering visitors to the zoo an opportunity to charge their cars sustainably. Supporting and aligning to the zoo’s strong commitment in this area, other initiatives include generating their own power through solar power, and their ‘Zoo Poo’ project which recycles animal waste to heat buildings.

The project works in collaboration with the FEVER research project, led by the University of Southampton in partnership with Universities of Sheffield, Surrey, and Portsmouth, and funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).