4 minute read
EV charging infrastructure
INVESTIGATION WITH EV VOLUMES SET TO TOP QUARTER OF A MILLION, CAN THE INFRASTRUCTURE KEEP UP WITH DEMAND?
There’s no doubt people are keen to go green when it comes to vehicles, it’s just a question of ensuring the power is there for them – and quickly as well.
Electric car sales are expected to hit a major milestone this month, when the 250,000th battery-electric vehicle (BEV) hits the road.
That’s an astonishing growth since the early days, when pure electric accounted for only a tiny fraction of sales.
At the end of May 2021, there were an estimated 242,000 BEVs on the UK’s roads, with 54,051 of those registered in 2021 alone, according to SMMT registration data. Together, BEVs and plug-in hybrids now account for 25 per cent more sales overall than diesel, which remains in rapid decline.
The data shows a much greater customer acceptance of BEVs, but the industry is still calling for greater support in terms of investment and infrastructure, which it believes is essential for pure electric to become dominant. At present, BEVs represent 8.4 per cent of UK car sales, and there are thousands of car buyers currently sitting on the electric fence, wondering whether or not to take the plunge.
‘Demand for electrified vehicles is helping encourage people into showrooms, but for these technologies to surpass their fossil-fuelled equivalents, a long-term strategy for market transition and infrastructure investment is required,’ said Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT.
Meanwhile, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) has agreed to invest £300m into expanding the UK’s electric vehicle charging network, which will fund the installation of 1,800 new charge points across motorway service areas and key trunk roads plus a further 1,750 chargepoints in towns and cities.
It’s a small but essential step, according to industry commentators.
Guy Pigounakis, commercial director for MG Motor UK, which has consistently seen BEV sales account for more than 30 per cent of its volume since the launch of the ZS EV in 2019, said: ‘The better the infrastructure gets, the more we can focus on our mission of EV for everyone. Only Porsche has a higher percentage of EV sales in its model mix.
‘We have already got practical, family-friendly electric cars down to real-world prices that mainstream motorists can afford and we see the 2030 EV switchover as entirely feasible so long as there is a co-ordinated effort,’ he added.
By the end of 2021, the UK will have its first EV ‘superhub’, which will be based in Oxford. The 25 megawatt site will have 30 super-fast charging points, all at the city’s Redbridge park-and-ride site.
Guy Pigounakis MG Motor UK commercial director
The EV superhub in Oxford will have 30 charging bays
Tim Rose, Pivot Power programme manager
The superhub is being developed by Pivot Power, which aims to open more of the super-fast charging stations across the UK following the Oxford pilot.
Tim Rose, the superhub’s programme manager, said: ‘We are aiming to accelerate the UK’s transition to a clean, electric future.
‘The smart power network we are installing in Oxford will deliver flexible, reliable power at scale to fast-track EV adoption.
‘As part of EDF Renewables UK, our aim is to replicate this model throughout the UK, supporting greater renewable generation and delivering power where and when it is needed to enable mass-scale, rapid electric vehicle charging.’
A similar facility exists in Braintree, where Gridserve recently opened the UK’s first electric forecourt. The site not only offers 37 charge points, including six Tesla superchargers, but it also features a supermarket, coffee shop, newsagents and post office, as well as a gym whose exercise bikes feed power back into the grid.
The electric forecourt opened in December 2020 and provides a snapshot of what the service station of the future could look like.
Toddington Harper, the company’s CEO, said: ‘By building an entirely new ecosystem, Gridserve is trying to make everything about using an EV much better than a petrol or diesel car. We all know that the cars themselves are amazing, but the charging infrastructure still isn’t great. If you are a Tesla driver, then you’re much better off than everyone else, but the other EVs on the road today do not have the same network.
‘A combination of solutions is provided to enable the same level of service to everyone. We don’t want any limitations, including range and charging anxiety. We want to get rid of this “anxiety” label that puts people off getting an EV in the first place.’
