Welsh Wildlife Centre powers sustainable travel with new e-bike charging stations

The Welsh Wildlife Centre is located within an interesting ecological area that lends itself to cycling. As a result, the centre welcomes visitors every day, with an increasing number arriving on e-bikes. To provide an e-bike and scooter charging facility, the centre’s electrical installer specified a Spelsberg BCS charging station. Durable and simple to install, the charging station is compatible with Shimano, Bosch, and standard 13-amp connections, enabling a single BCS unit to cover multiple e-bike charging systems.

The Welsh Wildlife Centre in Cilgerran near Cardigan, Pembrokeshire, overlooks the River Teifi and the Teifi Marshes. The centre is the home for many daily visitors and the local community to explore the fascinating ecology and wildlife of the area, with a diverse array of species including include otter, kingfisher, bittern, and hen harrier. The building itself is a striking design, built primarily of wood and glass, housing a presentation area for the work of the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales, as well as a café for the many visitors to the centre.

Multiple charging options

Championing the area’s ecology, the Welsh Wildlife Centre has a focus on environmentally friendly energy, which includes powering sustainable transport that staff and visitors use to access the site. As well as encouraging cycling, the centre wanted to support the growing use of e-bikes and e-scooters as a green way to travel, in addition to five EV charging points already installed at the centre.

To support the use of e-bikes, the central infrastructure requirement is a fast and reliable means of recharge. The Welsh Wildlife Centre approached Renewable Electrical Technologies to specify and install the system, following a recommendation from fellow Pembrokeshire ecology research centre, Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm.

Predominantly focussing on supporting solar energy across West Wales, Renewable Energy Technologies covers the full scale of projects, including electrical installation capabilities with solar panels, inverters, battery storage, as well as EV charge points – plus charging points for lower voltage applications.

To select the e-bike charging system, the main criteria was charging flexibility. Aiming to minimise the cost of e-bike charging hardware, Renewable Energy Technologies wanted a system that was compatible with all the main types of chargers. This was the main reason behind the selection of Spelsberg’s BCS e-bike charging station.

Durable and compact system

“The Spelsberg station provides charging for Bosch and Shimano connections, as well as two standard 230 volt 13-amp charging sockets, so it provided three-in-one charging,” says Dave Thomas, Renewable Energy Technologies. “This meant we were able to install just one type of charging station instead of multiple units to cover the different charging systems available.”

Two BCS units were selected, enabling up to eight e-bikes or e-scooters to be charged simultaneously. As well as reducing the cost of hardware, Spelsberg’s BCS unit also offers a compact footprint, measuring 53 cm long, approximately the same width, and just under 23 cm in height.

Constructed from highly durable glass-fibre reinforced polycarbonate,  the station has a high impact resistance, achieving IK08 rating. The sealed unit also provides IP54 ingress protection with silicone sealing, preventing ingress of dust and water splash including light rain. To provide extra protection against the Welsh elements,
Renewable Energy Technologies installed the units within compact, wooden shelters to provide additional cover. To prevent condensation forming inside the unit, the BCS features an integrated ventilation element, enabling rapid egress of moisture.

Easy to use

Weighing just 10 kg and featuring single-phase connection to a 230 V mains supply, installation of the Spelsberg system was straightforward, with the units wall mounted within wooden shelters.  “Including the light groundworks and cable management, the BCS units took around four hours to install, making it a relatively simple job,” says Dave.

With stock held at Spelsberg UK’s Telford site, the BCS units were delivered within days of order and were installed in mid-December 2024. Since then, Renewable Energy Technologies confirms that the system is providing trouble-free e-bike and e-scooter charging at the Welsh Wildlife Centre. Despite the winter conditions, multiple bikes have been charged every day as the 107-hectare site is visited by tourists and the local community. 

For users, charging is a simple, with LEDs indicating charging status. “Compatibility with the most popular charging types has made the BCS units popular for any location that requires e-bike and e-scooter charging,” says Spelsberg’s Callum Bradwell. “The charging stations are durable, easy to install, and simple for users to operate, so we’re seeing high interest from locations such as workplaces, shopping centres, public areas, as well as tourist attractions.”

For specific requirements or corporate branding, Spelsberg can also customise BCS units, offering in-house CNC and printing services.

About Spelsberg

Spelsberg is one of the largest manufacturers of electrical enclosures in the world. With over 4,000 enclosures available as standard and further customisation possible, it offers solutions for almost any application.

With the largest supply of non-metallic enclosures, ex-stock in the UK, its products are often available for delivery within 24 hours; customisation is possible on any product, including bespoke entries, engraved corporate logos or fitted terminals, within 48 hours. Products can be ordered direct from Spelsberg or from most leading supply specialists including RS, Rapid, Farnell and CPC.