The momentum behind electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK is building and, as a result, businesses, local councils, and private individuals are boosting their efforts to increase the number of chargers available. But is this the right approach? It could be argued that the best way to reach the tipping point, where EVs are the most prominent in showrooms and on the roads, isn’t through siting more chargers everywhere. The best road forward is a calculated approach driven by insights.
No one knows the importance of a strategic approach to the implementation of EVs and EV infrastructure more than those operating commercial fleets. For businesses, the implications of moving to electric too soon, or with the wrong approach can be sizable. As such, they have to calculate the financial feasibility of running EVs in comparison to petrol or diesel vehicles.
Fleet owners have to think about whether the range of the vehicles is adequate for the journeys they usually make. They have to think about whether the switch will contribute enough to their ESG targets. All these considerations come on top of the questions around how they will charge their vehicles and how much it will cost to do so.
It is generally encouraging to see the increase of charging points across the UK. Our polluted planet requires us to move quickly to make our vehicles and our roads cleaner. And people are more likely to make the switch to electric if they know they can always find somewhere to plug in.
Last year was a record year for chargers being installed. In London in particular, there are plans for 100 new ultra-rapid charging points that will benefit the likes of businesses, taxis, and emergency services.
But is all of this enough? Are we getting enough EVs and chargers on the roads to prepare ourselves for 2030, when the sale of new petrol and diesel cars comes to an end? What’s more, the Climate Change Committee also advises that companies lead the transition to electric vehicles in the UK by switching their vehicle fleets to EVs in the 2020s, so the pressure is on for businesses too.
Quality and quantity both count
The interesting point is that we could all be using the wrong marker of progress by fixating on the number of chargers being put in place. That’s because in some places, we already have a surplus. We simply don’t need to roll out more chargers when the existing ones aren’t being used. Some aren’t being maintained well enough and aren’t operational, while others are incompatible because we have a charging standards issue that needs to be addressed. Charging technology is also becoming obsolete quickly, and we also have to factor in the rising cost of charging EVs amidst an energy crisis and cost of living crisis. It’s an issue fraught with complexity.
So if the question is: do we need more charging points to encourage more people to switch to EVs, the answer is no.
What we need is a better charging infrastructure, not necessarily a bigger one. And to make this a reality, we need intelligent ways of measuring usage and trends that will ensure the charging infrastructure increases with demand. The vital elements of helping us get there is collaboration with businesses, local government, and energy providers, as well as data specialists to underpin the work and outputs of the collaboration.
Understanding current use to build the future
At the heart of this intelligence-led approach to improving the UK’s charging infrastructure is data, and more specifically publicly shared data. When the data about existing EV usage is shared among researchers, policymakers and other key individuals, it will be invaluable for the country’s fleet community to better prepare for their transition to cleaner transport and logistics.
The work is already ongoing. We at Hitachi Vantara recently collaborated with electricity distributor UK Power Networks to establish a trial called Optimise Prime that helps better understand the current use of EVs among organisations. As part of the trial, Hitachi Vantara’s IoT technology was used to track the charging activity at depots, homes, and on the road. The trial is the world’s biggest survey of commercial electric vehicles, and saw 8,000 EVs from the likes of Centrica, Uber and Royal Mail taking part. It provided powerful insights into how businesses can invest in the right infrastructure based on how similar vehicles are typically used. It also showed what the growing use of EVs on our roads will mean for the cables and substations that deliver electricity to the community.
Here’s what we already know from the data. Firstly, EVs can already cover the typical range requirements for all types of fleets monitored. This encouraging insight tells us that electrification is already feasible and achievable for commercial users. Secondly, in the long term, EV fleets can support network operators by offering ‘turn-down’ services where fleets can be charged only when needed. This reduces peak time demand on the power grid.
The EV industry and power networks should continue to work together to gain more insights that will help roll out a better charging infrastructure and help companies assess their switch to electric. Public access to the data generated is important, which is why the data from Optimise Prime is available to all.
Benefitting from the electric switch
The journey for commercial fleets to get to using EVs isn’t a straightforward one. They need to have the confidence of knowing whether they can charge their vehicles in a way that works for them. Different options abound such as using fast charging for quick vehicle turnaround, or trickle charging that is done overnight as part of planned downtime. They also need to consider the tools they use to maximise their charging infrastructure, such as using apps to schedule charging based on planned journeys for the following day.
If we want to boost EV usage nationwide, one thing we know is that simply adding more chargers to boost the headline figure isn’t as helpful as it first appears. There are smarter ways to getting there, and the use of data helps us avoid underserving some areas of the population and overserving others. No one body should work in isolation because there’s a great deal of value created from sharing information and working together to help everyone travel in a more sustainable way.
This article was written by Martin Kochman, VP, head of customers and industries at Hitachi Vantara