University EV Charging Expansion and Migration Cardiff University
Cardiff University partnered with PLUG Charging to design, survey, install, and operate a fully integrated EV charging solution across its Cardiff estate. The programme supports the University's fleet decarbonisation strategy and sustainability commitments, delivering the critical infrastructure required to transition one of Wales' most prestigious academic estates to electric.
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The Challenge
Cardiff University required a comprehensive, campus-wide EV charging programme spanning its Cardiff estate. The project presented challenges around multi-site coordination, electrical capacity constraints, live campus operations, and the need for a long-term infrastructure roadmap. With technically varied locations — each carrying differing electrical supply arrangements, ground conditions, and operational constraints — the University needed a trusted delivery partner capable of providing a fully managed, turnkey solution from initial feasibility through to ongoing operational management, whilst also bringing existing charging infrastructure under a single, unified platform.
Our Solution
PLUG Charging delivered a complete end-to-end solution, including:
Detailed technical and electrical feasibility assessments across the university estate
Dynamic load management modelling to maximise charging provision within existing electrical capacity
Full electrical and civil detailed design, developed in collaboration with the University's in-house M&E engineering team
Installation of new EV charging infrastructure at the IT Centre, Park Place — delivered on programme within a live campus environment
Migration of 10 existing Cardiff University chargers onto the PLUG platform, consolidating the estate under a single back-office system
OCPP-compliant commissioning including payment systems, back-office configuration, and remote monitoring
Ongoing operation and management of the full charging network
By combining new infrastructure delivery with platform migration and operational management, PLUG removed technical and delivery risk from the University and consolidated their entire charging estate under one managed solution.
Outcomes & Impact
- First site at IT Centre, Park Place delivered on programme with zero operational disruption
- 10 existing chargers successfully migrated to the PLUG platform
- Full estate now operating under a single, unified back-office system
- Zero safety incidents recorded across the entire programme
- 100% commissioning success — every connector validated and operational at handover
- 24/7 remote monitoring platform live from day one
- 100% operational uptime across all installed and migrated chargers since commissioning
- Infrastructure designed to scale alongside the University's growing fleet electrification ambitions
- Direct contribution to the University's published Net Zero commitments through reduction of Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions
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