Trophy for Joju Solar's award by Global Brands Magazine

Most innovative renewable energy brand, 2024

We’ve got some exciting news to share. Joju Solar is the winner of Global Brands Magazine’s award for Most Innovative Renewable Energy Brand in the UK.

Global Brands Magazine provides a guide to the world’s best brands, the awards are in their 12th year and a thorough research team evaluates the brand from top to toe, so we’re proud to come out as 2024 recipients.

The reaction

The Global Brands Magazine judging panel commented:

“Joju Solar has shown remarkable commitment to innovation, quality branding, customer experience and impressive overall performance in the renewable energy sector in the United Kingdom.”

And Joju’s Managing Director, Jacob Colton, said:

“It’s fantastic to receive this award for the most innovative renewable energy brand in the UK – a real credit to our hardworking teams, who are always focused on delivering excellence for our customers. It’s particularly pleasing to be recognised across residential and commercial solar and battery storage, as well as for the work we do in the public and private sectors to install EV Charging infrastructure. We’d like to thank our clients and partners as we continue to help shape the renewable energy sector and make a tangible difference by improving air quality and reducing energy costs”. 

Proud recipients

Huge congratulations go to our team and as Jacob said, a massive thank you to all our customers and partners.

After 18 years, we’re as committed to helping increase the uptake in solar, battery storage and EV Charging as we’ve always been.  Thanks to Global Brands Magazine for seeing that in us and recognising it.

Let’s talk!

If you’d like to partner with the UK’s most innovative renewable energy brand, whether you want solar for your business, your home, schools, universities, heritage or public sector buildings, please let us know. Or if you’re interested in battery storage or EV Charging Infrastructure, do contact us. We’d love to have a conversation about your next project.

EV Charging on street red car

Record number of public EV charge points installed this year

The news is out… about 6,000 public charge points have been installed during the first three months of this year, with a quarter of them rapid chargers. That’s according to quarterly figures from our friends at Zapmap, published by the Department for Transport.

The numbers

By April 1st, 2024, there were just under 60,000 public chargers installed in the UK. That’s a 49% increase on this time last year, and since 2022 the number of public chargers of all speeds has doubled.

Our view

It’s good news for EV drivers all across the country. It’s also positive for people considering the switch to EV, with The Guardian reporting in their EV mythbusters series, that range anxiety is one of the main reasons stopping people switching. Their take is that in the UK (unlike the US), the problem is being addressed and the number of black spots is reducing rapidly. Joju Charging Account Manager, Rob Dickin, agrees…

“Joju is working extensively with our local authority partners to increase the number of chargers available for the public, bringing together public and private sector funding to make sure there are enough chargers available as people make the switch to EVs. The upcoming LEVI funding from the government means we’ll be working even more closely with local authorities to ensure there are chargers available for those without their own off-street parking, so they can access renewable, green energy for their cars.”

Joju has been continuing to install public EV Charging Infrastructure in the first three months of the year, and there’s a lot more to come as Head of Public Sector Sales, Emma Blades, comments:

“The coming months are looking really positive for the EV revolution! With rapid hub projects being finalised and LEVI charging projects due, chargepoint numbers are set to increase further and faster. These projects give a variety of charging speeds for different uses, whether that’s residents charging overnight, visitors charging at a particular destination for a few hours, or people wanting to get charged and on their way as soon as possible. As the availability and ease of charging increases, the EV switch will be more accessible for all and we’re excited to continue to help power people’s journeys”.  

Absolutely right! The Joju Charging team looks forward to bringing EV drivers many more public charge points in 2024 and beyond, in conjunction with councils across the UK and our CPO and funding partners.

And finally…

Check out Zapmap for the nearest EV charge point on your travels.

electric vehicle charging at a school

EV charging grant for schools, and other funding updates

There’s been a lot happening in the EV charging space recently, in terms of initiatives to encourage electric vehicle adoption and the installation of EV charging infrastructure. Here’s our round up of the key highlights and specifics to have on your radar, when it comes to EV charging grants and funding measures.

 

EV charging grant for schools

The Department for Transport has recently increased the amount education institutions (including schools, colleges, academy trusts, and nurseries) can receive to install electric vehicle chargepoints.

The schools grant is part of the Workplace Charging Scheme and it’s open to all state-funded schools and educational institutions. It covers up to 75% of the cost of the purchase and install of EV chargepoints, up to £2,500 per socket. That’s a significant rise from the previous £350.

Schools and educational settings can use the grant to install as many as 40 EV chargepoints across all sites. This is a great way to boost chargepoint facilities for staff and visitors. The Department for Transport has also advised that schools could use the chargepoints to generate revenue, by making them available to the public.

To be eligible to apply, any school or educational setting needs to have dedicated off-street parking facilities. You can make an application online here.

Our Joju Charging team can also talk you through the schools grant application process, if you’d like to get in touch.

Independent schools can apply for funding too, through the Workplace Charging Scheme and the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Grant for Staff and Fleets. 

 

 

LEVI update

We’ve been sharing news and supporting councils with information for applications for the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund. The government is delivering £381 million to local authorities across the country, for the rollout of EV charging infrastructure to support drivers across the UK. The first capital payments for charging projects have been approved for local authorities including Bedford, East Sussex, North Yorkshire and the London boroughs of Hackney and Hounslow.

Here at Joju Charging, we’re also helping to bring EV charging to more rural areas in Dorset as part of a LEVI funded pilot. If you’re a local authority looking to reach more of your communities with EV charging infrastructure, do subscribe to our mailing list to hear more about a licence agreement we’ve created that could speed things up. The agreement enables tier 1 authorities to roll out EV charging networks across their areas, in association with sub authorities and even with the private sector. This framework has been over a year in the making, and we now have it for more of our local authority clients to benefit from.

 

 

Supporting EV chargepoint procurement

Through LEVI capability funding, almost 100 EV officers have been recruited to support chargepoint procurement. They will also help local authorities build teams to deliver EV charging projects. An electric vehicle infrastructure (EVI) training course will be open to all local authorities from mid-March as well, after a successful trial.

The government is also launching a consultation to look at speeding up charge point installation across the county. Proposals would mean street works could be carried out using a permit (rather than a licence), which can be issued much faster.

 

Don’t forget ORCS!

Local authorities can also still access the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS). We’re always happy to talk through the application process with you.

 

 

A welcome drive to go electric

With the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealing that the UK achieved the million EV’s on the road milestone in early February, we welcome all measures to support local authorities and drivers to make the switch to electric. As EVIE’s Contractor of the Year, Joju Charging is always ready to support with the design and installation of reliable, robust EV Charging infrastructure.

Exciting news from the E-mobility Awards

We’re proud to share that last week, Joju Charging won the best ‘E-mobility/EV charge point resellers and installers’ award at the E-mobility awards, 2023.

The awards celebrate innovation, ingenuity, and achievement in the E-mobility sector. Joju Charging has received this recognition for the second year running now, and we are absolutely delighted.

Innovation and growth

This past year, we have built on our reputation within the public sector and commercial sector, to help more organisations and businesses design and install EV charging infrastructure. We have continued to grow rapidly, yet carefully, to support over 100 Councils and numerous businesses with the transition to EV – making sure the right solutions are in place to facilitate their plans.

A great start to the year

On awards night, Chas Warlow, Joju Charging’s Head of Sales, said:

“It’s fantastic to receive this recognition… not only for Joju, but also for our clients as well, who are continuing to drive their sustainability plans forward with the ongoing installation of reliable EV Charging infrastructure”.

Head of EV Charging, Graeme Patton, commented:

“Joju Charging’s aim is always to be at the forefront of the drive for sustainable transport, making it as accessible as we can, in partnership with our clients. This award is testament to the hard work and commitment of all our teams at Joju Charging, from Sales, Account Management and Design, to Project Management and Installation”.

It’s been a great start to the year, and we now continue the hard work to get as many charge points in the ground as possible.

Discover more

Read more about EV Charging for the Public Sector

Find out more about our approach to EV Charging for Business