As the number of electric cars and chargers grows in the UK, Cumbrian companies are more than playing their part.

Bender UK, in Ulverston, makes equipment which provides ‘intelligence’ and monitoring within charging stations.

It first began its foray into the sector in 2008, developing an on-vehicle device for BMW to check for electrical faults in its Formula One cars.

Specifically, the technology detects whether the battery in a vehicle has somehow earthed to the chassis, creating the potential for electric shocks to users or engineers.

It now puts the same principles to use in CC613 devices which are used in car charging points.

"The majority of the larger manufacturers do utilise our technology," says Lee Slater, head of industrial for Bender UK.

"You will find charge stations which are used for the public and domestically and the chances are they will have some form of Bender technology inside.

"You need charge stations that are publicly located to have some form of intelligence, they need to meet certain requirements in terms of communications.”

The technology fulfils relatively simple tasks such as locking the charging point when it is in use and monitoring for faults.

"If there's a fault with the vehicle, we can obviously stop the charge," says Lee.

"If there's a fault with the charge station, we can obviously inhibit the charge as well.”

Bender also produces technology which provides a ‘back end’ for the charging points; an interface which the operator can access to monitor its use for purposes such as billing, remote diagnostics or software updates.

The original on-vehicle application for the technology is still very much in use, both in Formula One and Formula E, as well as for hybrid or electric utility vehicles, such as buses, refuse collection or delivery vehicles.

As the market for electric vehicles has grown, this part of the company’s business increased two-fold in 2021 and is predicted to do the same this year.

Eco Group, which has its headquarters in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, but also operates Ghyll House Upholstery, in Mealsgate, near Wigton, and Integrity IT Solutions, in Carlisle, has become the exclusive UK distributor of the BriXcell.

The BriXcell has the entire EV charging point infrastructure contained within a brick-sized construction pack which can be installed in houses during the construction phase.

Plans requiring new homes in England to have an electric car charging point were announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in November.

Under the plans, new-build homes will need at least one charging point per dwelling with associated parking. The new regulations would also apply to new-build supermarkets, workplaces and buildings undergoing major renovations.

“Traditionally these types of products have been surface mounted but we challenged ourselves to restrict it to the size and shape of a standard brick so it can form part of the construction process,” says Tim Gardner, part of the team which developed the BriXcell.

“The main advantage of the BriXcell to a house builder or developer is that they don’t need to change any of their existing processes to install it, which saves money and time. It really is as simple as laying a brick.

“And when the homeowner moves into the property, the charge point is ready for them to use.”