UK Urged To Step Up Its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
Energy suppliers, manufacturers, and councils are among those groups voicing concerns that the UK government is not doing enough to plan the infrastructure needed for the switch to electric vehicles (EVs). The iNews reports that the slow pace of installing chargepoint equipment around the UK won’t be able to keep up with demand.
By 2030, the government plans to ban new diesel and petrol vehicles for sale in the UK, which means that millions more EVs will be on the road. It is estimated that 480,000 public charging devices will be needed, compared to the 25,000 devices which are currently available. 19 million home charging points will also be needed.
Energy firm Vattenfall UK has also urged businesses to upgrade their electric infrastructure, so that they are in a position to power their transport fleets in the future. UK Haulier reports that many businesses currently underestimate the scale of upgrade that is required, as the world moves away from using fossil fuels.
Maria Lindberg, Vattenfall’s Director of Heavy Transport said: “Business and industry will need a substantial upgrade of their electrical infrastructure to cope with the power demands of a post-fossil fuel future.”
She added: “There is a diminishing window of opportunity to get this done – but the technology and business models do exist to make it a manageable and economic shift.”
The UK government recently pledged £620m to expediate the rollout of public chargepoint infrastructure, but there are still many areas of concern. For example, the rollout so far has been described as a ‘postcode lottery’, with London having the majority of charging points so far.
Another issue is that chargepoint operators are finding that demand outstrips supply, and this is leading to them charging extortionate prices through lack of competition. The operators have been accused of cherry-picking locations, and demanding exclusive contract and maintenance deals.
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