Current±’s publisher, Solar Media, is set to host the 2024 edition of its EV Infrastructure and Energy Summit at Novotel London West on 1-2 October, 2024. The Summit offers a comprehensive guide to navigating the complexities of EV charging and energy systems essential for driving the EV transition forward.
In the build-up to the event, Current±, as the event’s editorial partner, will be holding a series of Q&A’s exploring some of the key discussions from the event, what to expect and some of the growth opportunities within the UK’s EV market.
In the series’ first, Current± speaks to Judith Hayton, strategy and planning manager at Transport for London, on what the organisation hopes to achieve from the event as well as the new opportunities led by the Labour government.
What are you most looking forward to at Solar Media’s upcoming EV Infrastructure and Energy Summit 2024?
I am really looking forward to hearing from EV experts, including chargepoint operators and local authorities, on their experiences with delivering EV infrastructure and how they are addressing any challenges and barriers they face to installing public chargepoints that meet the needs of all user groups, including disabled drivers and commercial vehicles.
What are some of the opportunities in the current market? Also, where are some challenges preventing the wider adoption of EVs?
Now is a time of unprecedented growth in the public charging network. At TfL, we are working to bring as many EV charging bays as possible to London’s streets as quickly as possible to ensure enough chargepoints for demand.
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles announced in 2023 that London has been allocated £35.7 million in funding for Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Capital funding. This is in addition to the £9.7 million LEVI pilot funding previously awarded, which will see 400 fast chargepoints introduced in boroughs across north and west London, alongside additional government funding awarded to boroughs through the On-street Residential Charge Point Scheme.
I look forward to seeing local authority delivery using the LEVI funding to meet the needs of drivers without access to home charging, and more rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoint and hubs that will give high mileage, professional drivers the certainty they need to make the switch to an EV.
Some groups will find it harder to switch to EVs without suitable public charging infrastructure. We need public infrastructure that will allow larger vans to charge. We also need to make sure that public chargepoints are accessible – both in terms of space for disabled people to move around and chargepoints that older and disabled people can physically use, but also making sure that the process of finding and using public chargepoints is simple and easy to understand for everyone.
Labour was installed as the new government after the recent general election. What policies would you recommend they implement to support the growing EV market in the UK?
Affordability remains an issue. Grant funding for vans, HGVs and taxis continues to be key to increase EV uptake across these sectors. Changes to the VAT on public charging to bring it in line with that for home charging would also support the boost of EV market.
It would incentivise people without access to home charging, particularly people living in inner and more deprived areas in London, if they pay similar to charge their vehicles.
Increasing confidence in the second-hand market will also be vital, including being able to ensure the health of batteries. Further investment in training people to repair and maintain EVs is also welcome, addressing some of the issues impacting high insurance costs and the time vehicles are off the road.
More support for public sector and emergency service fleets to deliver accessible and inclusive public charging is also conducive to the growth of the market where one of the barriers is the higher cost of delivering chargepoints that comply with the PAS1899 accessible charging standard.
Do you think the UK will reach its target of having 300,000 public chargepoints by 2030?
London is on track to meet the target of 40,000-60,000 chargepoint by 2030 which is a significant portion of the UK total. With over 20,000 public chargepoint here, London currently has around one third of all EV charging infrastructure across the UK, more than any other UK region.
To facilitate this ambitious goal, the Mayor wants to go further by facilitating space for more rapid chargepoint. Around 1,200 of the thousands of EV chargepoints to be found across the capital are rapid or ultra-rapid chargepoint that deliver a full charge within 30 minutes – this includes 300 delivered by us.
Besides delivering chargepoints to meet a target, it is also important to consider having the right infrastructure in the right places. It is vital that the charging needs of all user groups are met, including larger commercial vehicles, other high mileage drivers and disabled drivers. There is also value in ensuring that public chargepoints are utilised more fully around the clock, getting the most out of existing chargepoints.
