EV infrastructure lacking Royal seal of approval

Delivering on pledges to reinstate the 2030 deadline for all new car and van sales to be electric, commitments to giga-factories and removing planning constraints are important, but there is also a hearts and minds battle to be won.

The adoption of EVs is extremely uneven, with adoption in rural areas just a fraction of that in towns and cities. Charge anxiety – and the uneven distribution of the public charging network – has replaced range anxiety, yet there is a network of 500,000 charging points across the country, owned by commercial fleets and private individuals. Building collaboration and fostering the shared economy to transform accessibility to charging would not only address anxiety but transform the efficiency of EV fleets, enabling both companies and private individuals to embrace a sustainable future without any need for planning changes or additional infrastructure development.

The priority is to rebuild confidence in EVs. Alok Dubey, Regional Director for Western Europe at EV charging platform, Monta, shares his advice with the Government on what is needed to bolster the UK EV infrastructure, support Fleet managers and ensure the UK is adequately prepared for the rise of EVs.

Delivering promises

Labour’s Election Manifesto outlined its plan for the Automotive sector, which is based on the plan outlined by Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds MP.

In his foreword, Reynolds explained: “A Labour government would drive the automotive industry into the future by accelerating domestic battery-making capacity, investing in giga-factories, and removing planning barriers to get shovels in the ground.”

But are these the biggest barriers to the adoption of EVs? Since the last government postponed the eradication of new petrol and diesel car and van sales from 2030 to 2035, the EV evolution has slowed. While the number of EVs on the road in the UK reached one million earlier in 2024, growth is driven by commercial fleets rather than private owners.

Labour has pledged to bring back the 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars in a bid to provide “certainty to manufacturers” and “support the transition to electric vehicles.”

This is a vital step, not only for manufacturers but to provide much needed confidence to the private companies building the EV infrastructure in the government’s real commitment to the technology.

Charge anxiety: fact or fake?

One of the biggest barriers to EV adoption, especially within rural areas, is the perceived lack of charging infrastructure. In fact, the number of public charging points has risen from 32,000 in 2022 to around 62,000 today. Admittedly these are primarily within urban areas, in response to the high areas of demand.

Where are the incentives for charging providers to invest in charging points in rural areas when demand is so low the return on investment will take years? Nowhere to be seen, yet. And we could be waiting a while longer with consumers’ decisions to hedge their bets and opt for hybrids, which has further reduced the investment appeal for more rural EV charge point infrastructure.

Charging price confusion has also further undermined consumer confidence and, as such, the new government must support the ‘Public Charge Point Regulation’ due to come into force in November 2024. By enforcing standardised pricing models, contactless payment, and high levels of reliability, these regulations will be key in boosting consumer confidence in the public charging infrastructure and it is essential the new government holds all public charge providers to account to meet these standards.

Collaborative thinking

Public charging points are, however, just one small part of the EV story and the new Prime Minister has gone to some lengths to get the message across that his Government wants to ‘move forward in a respectful, collaborative way’. The hope is that businesses hear this collaboration message and work together to boost the UK charge point network.

There are already more than 500,000 charge points in the UK, spread across private homes and, increasingly, transport hubs used by commercial fleets. Logistics companies are investing in EVs to reduce their costs within urban congestion zones and meet shareholder sustainability objectives. Fast, reliable charging is a vital component of these strategies to ensure last mile delivery targets can still be met. Large fleet owners are increasingly investing in their own super-fast charging sites that deliver a full (80%) charge within 30 minutes. However, the usage of these charging points is typically restricted to the private or commercial owner. The simple step of encouraging, even incentivising, a more open, collaborative EV charging network could remove any charging anxiety overnight.

EV charging technology already allows fleet operators to prioritise vehicle charging based on the battery level of each vehicle, i.e., a vehicle at 30% battery will take priority over other vehicles with a higher battery charge and charge the depleted battery faster. The model could become even more flexible if fleet operators could pay to top up at a private charging point during the day. This would avoid the waste of empty miles simply to find public infrastructure or return to the fleet’s hub. If this approach is expanded by encouraging all fleet operators to share hubs, optimised route planning becomes both simple and cost effective across both rural AND urban areas.

Shared economy

The shared economy is at the heart of the widespread adoption of EVs. When neighbours can simply pay a fee to charge their car, every home does not require a dedicated charger.

Combining real-time visibility of charging costs and availability status with a collaborative mindset between both individuals and businesses will overcome charge anxiety and encourage essential EV confidence.

Undoubtedly, innovative technology will play a key role in managing the demand on the grid and allaying electricity providers’ fears. Long delays in attaining new Distribution Network Operator (DNO) connections, especially in rural areas where electricity supply is limited, are slowing down the deployment of new assets for both fleets and public charging providers.

Fears regarding the additional demand on the UK’s outdated infrastructure are valid: there were almost 20 unique grid imbalances in 2023. The use of technology that detects imbalances in the electrical grid and briefly pauses current EV charging sessions to help prevent power blackouts in exchange is already widely used in the Nordics and can transform grid reliability. Add in technology that actively nudges behaviour change to avoid overloading the grid at specific points, and the rapid escalation of EVs can be safely and sustainably achieved.

Time to recharge the journey to EVs

To recharge the journey to EVs the Labour government must not only stand by its manifesto pledge to reintroduce the 2030 ban on internal combustion engine vehicles but also rebuild the trust and faith in EVs that has been undermined by powerful lobbying groups over the past few years.

Ministers need to be seen driving EVs. Members of Parliament must actively support the deployment of infrastructure in their constituencies and encourage the shared economy locally. First time drivers need to be inspired to start with an EV. Seeing is believing.

This is a critical moment in the evolution of EVs – the new government has the power to accelerate change. The big question is, will it stand up and commit to its manifesto pledges or will it bow to pressure from lobbyists?