Support for local authority EV goals

Support for local authority EV goals

While the electric vehicle evolution is global, the impacts will be local, and local authorities will be expected to play their part in delivering a robust charging infrastructure. The Renewable Energy Association’s Daniel Brown shares some advice on how local authorities can champion electric vehicles

Do you know what the councils of Watford, Westminster, and Dundee all have in common with the cities of Fremont in California, Hangzhou in China, and Wrocław, Poland? It’s that they all are playing key roles in the electrification of the UK’s car and van fleet.

Change is coming fast. The Committee on Climate Change’s analysis that 60 per cent of car sales need to be electric by 2030 to meet our carbon targets could well be achieved earlier as the manufacturing hubs that are home to Tesla, Geely, and Nissan alike continue to champion battery powered transport.

But while this great electric vehicle evolution may be global, the impacts will be local, and local authorities will be expected to play their part in delivering the affordable, reliable, and accessible EV infrastructure that will allow us to reduce emissions and cut costs for consumers.

Supporting local authorities

Consumer demand for EVs and a growing central government push for the deployment of infrastructure will impact local authorities in a host of ways. Officers need to be thinking ahead about the grants and tax breaks in place, how to encourage complementary technologies such as solar and energy storage, and both sharing and learning from best practice in terms of supporting developers, and the consumer protection schemes that are in place.

That’s why the REA’s EV group developed a report last year, called ‘Taking Charge: How Local Authorities can champion electric vehicles’, which is designed to support council officers, councillors, developers, and engaged individuals who seek to support this important transition.

The development of the right types of infrastructure, particularly in terms of where it’s located and operated, is critical to both ensuring that the consumer experience of this shift is preferable to the current system – EVs needs to save our citizens money as well as improve our local environment.

Our Taking Charge report puts into the public domain a host of pragmatic proposals, the product of interviews with a range of local authorities and charge point developers by the REA – and the paper is finding support in many corners, from parliamentarians to councillors and local government trade groups.

Setting up a car club can be an efficient way of getting more EVs on the road and getting more private investment involved

Taking action

The report proposes a range of actions, including appointing an ‘EV Car Czar’ from the council body to make it easier for charge point developers to rapidly install the equipment needed.

It urges local authorities to make the ‘Milton Keynes Promise’ to ensure that on-street charge points are made available near to those who own EVs.

Other recommendations include making it easier for residents to request on-street charge points, investigating how solar and energy storage technologies can power our cars, and creating an ‘EV Plan’ within the local authority, which allocates a budget and identifies clear deliverables. Giving benefits for early EV drivers, such as free parking or allowing EVs to use bus lanes is also proposed, as iscommiting to purchasing EVs as part of the council’s transport fleet, and/or working with bus service operators and contractors to encourage their fleets to go electric.

The report also suggests establishing an ‘energy board’ of councillors and staff that looks at how the local authority can reduce costs from sustainable energy technologies, and how to introduce new income streams as funding from central government falls.

Education is key

Numerous of LAs are doing substantial amounts of work improving the EV infrastructure but if people don’t know then the uptake will not follow. A major example of this is the installation of on-street charge points, if these charge points are not heavily promoted and visible for the public to see then the benefits of installing the points are reduced. Campaigns to promote awareness are therefore a must.

It must also be ensured that residents can find charge points by making them visible and signposted, and connecting local authority websites with the ZapMap API, which lists the charge points and their status across the UK.

Car clubs

The second large scheme that councils and LAs should consider is starting a ‘Car-Club’ with EVs. Setting up a car club can be an efficient way of getting more EVs on the road and getting more private investment involved. The most significant commitment to an EV Car club is currently one which was set up by Transport for Scotland in 2016 and is run by Carplus.

The programme has supported the introduction of 82 EVs to car clubs which was more than the rest of the UK combined at that time. Investment to provide charge points at hubs for multi-modal journeys including installations at Park & Ride sites and 11 ferry sites has also been provided. This can be scaled down to a smaller level by LAs. An example of a smaller scheme is in Oxford. The North Oxford E-car club currently charges £4.50 an hour including insurance and power. The cars are available 24/7, 365 days a year and are placed in convenient locations. The range for the north Oxford car is 75 miles which is sufficient for local journeys.

Best practice

The REA and its members – not just in the EV group but in our solar and energy storage sectors as well, are seeing remarkable initiatives from local government already.

Dundee in Scotland is championing charging hubs with on-site storage & solar, The report by the REA proposes a range of actions, including appointing an ‘EV Car Czar’ from the council body to make it easier for charge point developers to rapidly install the equipment needed. and others are also realising that it’s not just about environmental progress – this historic shift is creating scope for new LA revenue streams in an era of declining funding. Other groups are also highlighting the opportunity of new technologies for local authorities, such BRE whose recent Solar Carport Guide highlights how revenues can be increased from council parking spaces.

The Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill compels the government to report on the progress of charge point roll out and that would empower the government to compel stakeholders beyond fuel forecourts (forecourts are already in the Bill) to install charging points, such as commercial properties with public car parks (e.g. supermarkets and football stadiums).

Numerous amendments relate to empowering local government or combined authority mayors. Others also relate to building standards – the REA agrees with the view that new homes and new commercial properties should be built with the appropriate trenching, ducting, and wiring in place so as to make charge point installation in the future faster and cheaper. We would go a step beyond and also make the case for three-phase power supplies to be installed to the door in new homes.

Permitted development rights is another issue, which relates to expediting the development of rapid charging hubs, particularly alongside major motorways. A number of developers are developing, or preparing to develop, ‘charging hubs’ across the UK.

National Grid has it’s own plans for 50 ‘ultra‐rapid’ charging hubs strategically located across the UK near major motorways.

Commenting on the guide, Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, chief executive at the Renewable Energy Association said: “While the drivers of this historic shift may be global, the impacts will be local and local authorities will be on the front lines. The expectation that a reliable, accessible, and affordable charging infrastructure will be in place is, in the eyes of much of the public, the responsibility of local government.

“We hope that this pragmatic action plan can equip all local authorities, even those with constrained budgets, to tackle the challenges and opportunities of electric vehicles head on. Ultimately, the goal is improved air quality, reduced carbon emissions, and reduced running costs for consumers.”

FURTHER INFORMATION

www.r-e-a.net