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Trench work on EV charging hubs covers duct runs between the supply point and the charging bays, drainage systems, and foundations for charger bases and other structures.
It might also be that an existing drainage system is damaged and trench excavation is needed to expose services, or that ground conditions call for a deeper dig than planned.
Whatever the reason for excavating a trench, you should generally always follow the same procedure.
Firstly, you should always start by checking for underground services with a CAT scanner and reviewing plans of the area. On live EV sites this matters even more, as forecourts and car parks are rarely as clear underground as the drawings suggest. If the existing surface is hard, such as asphalt or concrete, it should first be cut approximately 500mm wide to make neat edges when excavating and avoid disturbing other areas of the existing surface.
The Trenchwork Process
Once cut, you may need to use a pecker or a breaker to break through the hard surface. When it has been broken up into loose material you can then start to excavate the sub base and begin to trench out. This can be done with an excavator of an appropriate size, using a trenching bucket.
Trenches exceeding a metre in depth should always be shuttered and made safe for people working in the trench. All exposed services should be treated with care, and hand digging is usually the more appropriate method at this point. On live EV sites, where forecourts and car parks carry services that are rarely where the drawings say, that applies more than most.
After the trench is excavated to the specified depth and made safe, the necessary installation can commence ducting, drainage or foundations before being reinstated. This is usually done in layers using hardcore material, compacting each layer individually with a trench rammer and finishing with resurfacing to match into the existing surface.
Trench work is a core part of our EV civils service. We carry out EV charging trench excavation and cable ducting trenches to precise specifications, preparing sites for charge point installation across the UK. Our trenching integrates directly with our ducting and base works see our EV ducting & bases service for the full scope.