Electric Vehicles and EV Charging Infrastructure Bulletin

 

We have picked out some recent headlines in the UK electric vehicle (EV) sector to bring you up to speed:

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25/01/2021

It was reported that the chief executives of HGV manufacturers Daimler, Scania, MAN, Volvo, DAF, IVECO and Ford have signed a pledge to phase out the manufacturing of internal combustion engines by 2040.

26/01/2021

Energy services company Centrica announced its intention to support ABB UK, a sustainable transport company, in its plans to electrify its UK fleet by 2025. Once ABB UK’s transition is complete it could reduce its carbon footprint by around 20%.Interoperability service provider ZapMap announced that EV charging in the West Midlands will be boosted following Warwickshire Country Council’s award of a £584,000 contract to bp pulse (one of the UK’s leading EV charging companies) further to their successful bid under the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS). 118 new on-street chargers will be installed across the region and the chargers will be made available on pay-as-you go basis.

29/01/2021

Distribution network operator UK Power Networks (UKPN) have teamed up with IONITY (a joint venture founded by the BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen Group) to deliver the installation of 6 high power chargers at the Extra Motorway Services area on the M25. The chargers use 100% green energy and further rollout is a crucial part of delivering the Government’s pledges for motorway electrification under the Prime-Minister’s 10 Point Plan and the subsequent Energy White Paper.Zap Map announced that it has signed ESB Energy up to its Zap-Pay service. ESB Energy is a majority state-owned, Irish electricity company which operates 1,100 chargepoints in Ireland and 145 chargepoints in the UK.

02/02/2021

In a letter published to councils across Britain, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that funding for the ORCS will continue into 2021-22, where additional funding could see the addition of nearly 4,000 new chargepoints in towns and cities. The government is now welcoming applications from councils.EV charging solution company EVBox announced that it has launched the Everon Business Portal (EBP) which offers fleet and EV charging site managers the ability to access real-time insights into chargepoint health, patterns and the energy consumption of their EV fleet.

04/02/2021

Bright Blue, an independent conservative think tank, released a report which outlined that upfront price, lack of charging infrastructure, so called “range anxiety” and lack of vehicle choice were the major barriers to public EV uptake, The report proposed the implementation of the following policy initiatives to attempt to overcome these issues:Establishing a Used Vehicle Plug-in Car Grant of at least £2,000 to support lower income groups to transition to EVs;

• Enhancing capital allowances for businesses purchasing zero emission vehicles for the purpose of renting and leasing them;

• Introduction of a mandate for central government and local councils stating that all new fleet vehicles purchased must be EVs;

•  Introduce an obligation to run alongside the ORCS requiring all local authorities to install on-street EV chargepoints when requested by residents (subject to reasonableness);

• Make interoperability a conditions for central and local government funding towards chargepoints;

• Require all petrol stations to have at least three rapid chargepoints by 2023; and

• Make the inclusion of estimated lifetime vehicle costs mandatory

08/02/2021

The “Shift” trial run by UKPN, Kaluza, Octopus Energy and ev.energy, involving over 1,000 EV consumers showed that customers will shift their EV charging habits where there are smart charging incentives which encourage customers to shift their EV charging to times when prices are lower or electricity is greener. UKPN’s report on the trial suggests that “combining this with other smart solutions, increased network visibility and strategic investment, will enable DNOs to facilitate EV uptake and better meet customers’ electricity needs.”

11/02/2021

The government has launched a new consultation on the consumer experience at public EV chargepoints. The consultation focuses on four critical areas:

• Making it easy to pay;

• Opening up chargepoint data to enable the development of consumer friendly apps;

• Using a single payment metric (standardisation to a pence-per-kilowatt hour (kWh) basis); and

• Ensuring a reliable charging network.

The consultation is also seeking evidence on 3 emerging policy areas:

• Accessibility for disabled customers;

• Weatherproofing and lighting; and

• Signage.

The consultation will run until 10 April 2021.

13/02/2021

The UK government have also announced that £50m has been pledged towards the installation of EV chargepoints through the:

• The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) – which will provide individuals in rented or leasehold accommodation up to £350 towards a chargepoint, which will continue through next year; and

• The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) – which will be opened up to small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) and the charity sector.

15/02/2021

NatWest and renewable energy provider Octopus Energy have announced a joint offering for retail, business and wealth customers as part of their strategy to tackle climate change.NatWest’s package includes:

• Funding options for businesses;

• Discounted EV chargepoint technology and installation;

• Access to Octopus Energy’s 100% green tariffs; and

• Free access to Octopus Energy’s EV charge network.

16/02/2021

The Scottish government announced that it has awarded 6 companies, including Connected Kerb and Urban Foresight, £210,000 to test new ways of improving accessibility across ChargePlace Scotland’s EV charging network as part of Scottish Enterprise’s “Can Do Innovation Challenge” framework.

22/02/2021

EV company Arrival have announced that they will begin trials of its zero-emission bus with transport company First Bus this autumn. First Bus have committed to no longer purchasing diesel busses after 2022 and to fully decarbonise their fleet by 2035.

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Low Emission Vehicles & Charging Infrastructure