The UK Government is pressing ahead with its ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from the end of the decade, followed by five years where vehicles can only be sold if they are able to travel a significant distance without producing any tailpipe emissions. Following this, only electric and other zero emission vehicles will be sold as new, although sales of used petrol and diesel vehicles will still be allowed.
There have been dissenting opinions on the future of the internal combustion engine vehicle ban, with some motorists saying it should not go ahead.
They point to the current electric vehicle charging infrastructure around the UK, which has been described as inadequate by some experts.
A new £6billion investment from ChargeUK is aiming to dramatically increase the number of public charging points around the UK and address charging anxiety.
It is hoped that the amount of EV chargers will double by the end of the year, thanks to the funding from 18 of the largest charge point operators and EV sector players.
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Paul Holland, Managing Director for UK Fleet, Allstar, spoke about the changes that will need to be made to ensure the UK efficiently adapts to electric vehicles before the end of the decade.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, he said: “One of the key aspects of EVs is to manage their charging.
“Although public charging points are becoming plentiful and are usually much higher power than those that can be installed in homes and many businesses, relying on them is more expensive: charging at home costs around £15.10 for a full charge of a 54kWh battery, while rapid charging will typically cost £19 for a 30-minute charge.
“Given how home chargers usually cost £1,000 or less it won’t take long for many companies to make their initial investment back through installing their own chargers.”
The latest data from Zap-Map estimate that there are more than 42,500 chargers across nearly 25,000 locations
While there has been a significant and consistent year-on-year increase in the number of EV chargers in recent years, there are still hopes it will continue further.
Mr Holland suggested that larger companies with more space available to them would need to consider what infrastructure they would need at their establishment to ensure they can cope with electric vehicles.
This would also reduce the price for its employees and customers, with enormous savings on petrol and diesel and the general wear-and-tear of ICE vehicles.
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He continued: “The alternative for smaller companies might be a reduced number of charge points on site but the same principle of providing multiple options for their employees.
“One other alternative would be for vehicles to be charged at employees’ homes overnight. Many companies allow their drivers to take their vehicles home overnight to avoid the cost of building and maintaining depots to keep them, and this provides a solution for charging.
“Home chargers are typically less powerful than their public counterparts, but because they charge overnight when the vehicle isn’t in use, they are often more convenient for drivers and their companies.”
Fleets and businesses around the UK have contributed massively to electric vehicle sales, given the beneficial car tax rates they pay.
The Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax sees a rate of two percent levied on electric cars used as part of a salary sacrifice scheme. In comparison, the highest polluting petrol and diesel vehicles are charged at a rate above 35 percent, which will remain in place until at least the 2027/28 financial year.
Estimates show that only 56 percent of UK homes can support electric car chargers, with older terraced housing, flats and apartments all lacking the facilities needed to install a charger.
Many other areas, especially metropolitan areas, do not have the space required to install chargers on lampposts or smaller community chargers.
Paul Holland concluded, saying: “This will have to change over time, but as it stands around half of your workforce may not be able to use home charging, or installing it might be expensive. Working out how you can enable home charging when every driver in your company has unique personal circumstances will be difficult and will require companies to be flexible and empathetic.”
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