Current± rounds up the top stories from the electric vehicle (EV) market this week.
ZEV mandate ‘crucial’ to UKs transition to electrified transport
New Automotive has announced that implementing an effective zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate will be ‘crucial’ to help maintain the EV momentum of 2022.
The EV consultancy’s, The State of the Switch 2022 report, found that the number of EVs in the UK grew rapidly in 2022. Electric van sales also increased last year, growing their market share to 6%, up from 4% in 2021.
Despite these promising figures, the report showed that fossil fuelled vehicles still made up over four in five new car registrations in 2022, and cautioned that 2023 will be paramount to achieving the government’s 2030 electric transport goal.
To accomplish this, the report called for an ambitious ZEV mandate to support the switch to EVs rather than implementing a simple “backstop”.
“2022 was a historic year for the transition to greener, cleaner transport in the UK. Electric cars provided the only growth in sales in the UK car market, as more and more motorists made the switch to access the running-cost savings EVs offer,” said CEO of New Automotive, Ben Nelmes.
“The final consultations for the UK’s Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate are due to take place imminently. These discussions are of critical importance, as the final form of the mandate will be crucial to delivering a timely and equitable transition to electric vehicles that benefits all motorists, as well as UK business.
“The UK government must not delay the implementation of the mandate or water down targets – doing so will only delay motorists’ access to the running cost savings that come from switching to an electric car. An ambitious mandate would ensure the supply of EVs – both vans and cars – to the UK, reducing waiting times and reducing upfront costs, and thus driving the country’s EV transition to new heights.
“Any watering down of targets would simply reward manufacturers that are failing to electrify, and slow down the pace of the transition. In 2023, the government must drive forward and capitalise on the significant momentum the transition has built up. Neither complacency nor vested interests can not be allowed to slow down the journey to electrified transport.”
In its earlier On the Road to 2030 report New Automotive also identified that a ZEV mandate would be key in addressing barriers to the rollout of EV chargepoints.
Elmodrive launches new EV public charging solution
The EV subscription company elmodrive has announced the launch of its pay-as-you-go public charging card, elmoCharge, providing its customers access to over 23,000 chargepoints through a partnership with Paua.
Every customer with an EV subscription through elmodrive will now have the option to opt-in to receiving an elmoCharge card, which will be delivered in the glove box of their vehicle.
By partnering with Paua, elmo will also allow its customers to benefit from to the Paua EV charging app granting access to 20 network providers including Shell, Osprey and Connected Kerb.
The app will also let customers monitor their spending by sending them fortnightly invoices.
“Paua is delighted to be able to support more customers on their electric adventure. With growing interest in electric vehicles and an ever-increasing number of makes and models on the market, there has never been a better time to switch. And with a subscription, you can try multiple vehicles to understand what suits your needs best,” said Paua’s CEO and founder, Niall Riddell.
By providing a simpler and more accessible charging process the app will help tackle poor chargepoint experience which, according to recent research conducted by Paythru, deters 80% of UK from purchasing EVs.
“Easy access to public charging is one of the biggest perceived barriers to people switching to an electric car. Part of the problem is that, to date, drivers have needed a different card or app or membership to access each different network,” said Olly Jones, elmo co-founder.
“As part of our mission at elmo to make switching to an electric car easy, we’ve launched elmoCharge in partnership with Paua – the UK’s leading charge point roaming provider. Now elmo subscribers can access over 23,000 charge point connectors, from 20 (and growing) network operators with one card.”
New chargepoints to benefit 50% of households in Leatherhead that can’t charge at home
Seven new EV chargepoints supplied by UK EV installer 3ti at Riverbridge House Business Centre, Leatherhead will now be available to public and local residents on a pay-as-you-go basis.
The chargepoints were originally designed as workplace charging for Riverbridge residents, but have since been opened for public use, benefiting the 50% of local households that don’t have access to EV charging at home.
Local residents will now have access to 22kW of fast charging with every CCTV monitored and well-lit chargepoint. 3ti have confirmed that the chargepoints will offer optimal charging for vehicles that are parked for two hours or more.
“This is a timely opportunity to support clients, local residents and visitors to the area with convenient, accessible and most importantly, reliable EV charging facilities,” said Tim Evans, 3ti’s founder and CEO.
“We have seen the demand for workplace EV charging for our own business and the 30-plus other businesses at Riverbridge House, increase dramatically over the past 12 months. This mirrors the growth of the electric vehicle market as a whole as drivers switch to cleaner, quieter, more economical and less polluting forms of transport.
“But we also know that around half of households in the UK can’t charge an EV at home, which makes the availability of reliable, reasonably priced charging facilities nearby, or at their workplace, a major factor when considering a switch from a petrol or diesel vehicle. Making the Riverbridge House charge points available to local residents and visitors to the area makes that decision easier for them.”
A report released last week by New Automotive showed that EV chargepoint roll out figures were on track to meet government targets; however the report cautioned that industry uncertainty around the future demand for EVs remain a “major barrier”.
Paradoxically, a major disincentive for potential EV customers – and therefore, a significator player in the future of EVs – is chargepoint disparity.
“We are taking various steps to sustain and improve our leafy surroundings,” said Susan Hook, director at Riverbridge House Business Centre.
“We desperately need more widespread charging infrastructure if the UK is to support its growing number of EV drivers. We have been amazed at how frequently the charge points are in use during the day, and it makes sense to offer EV drivers public access to this facility when spaces are available. This approach complements our recent decision to adopt EMMA AI technology to monitor our energy usage as part of an ongoing commitment to reduce our carbon emissions”.
Banbury open one of ‘UK’s largest EV charging hubs’
InstaVolt has added eight 150kW Alpitronic chargers to its eight 125kW chargepoints in Stroud Park, Banbury and announced plans for an additional 16 to be installed in the coming weeks.
The charging hub also received a number of upgrades including additional lighting, wider success spaces and two larger spaces to accommodate the increasing number of electric vans and fleets.
Plans for a small meadow have been included to increase biodiversity.
“The conveyancing has involved a new lease, legal documentation to surrender part of the lease and grant a lease to a substation company. We also had to put in place the granting of easements to the two separate electricity companies supplying the charging hub – one to the ‘last mile’ company and one to the distribution network operator, Western Power. This was at each phase of the scheme – the initial eight, second eight, and then finally for the next 16 charging points,” explained the head of business property for Lodders, the law firm partnering with Stroud Park Ltd.
InstaVolt was voted third best rapid charging network based on driver satisfaction in Zap-Map’s UK EV driver survey last year.
FLEETCOR announces acquisition of EV charging company Mina
Business payments and management company FLEETCOR Technologies, yesterday (1 February) confirmed it had acquired the at-home EV charging software company, Mina.
The acquisition follows a successful partnership between the two companies and will provide a home-charging solution for commercial fleets in the UK.
FLEETCOR customers will now benefit from a simplified and automated reimbursement process as the Mina software captures, calculates and pays for at home business use charging directly to the service provider.
This is said to allow commercial fleets to smoothly manage the transition to EVs .
Ron Clarke, chairman and chief executive officer, FLEETCOR Technologies, Inc said: “It’s a fascinating company that’s built software integrations into virtually all the UK EV charging hardware suppliers and electric utility providers. That makes at-home EV charging and reimbursement incredibly simple for employees and employers”.
The announcement follows FLEETCOR’s acquisition of the EV software and network provider, Plugsurfing in September 2022.
