Auto industry bosses have called for a nationally coordinated plan to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including binding targets to expand the supply of charging stations.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has released a new report highlighting how the UK car industry has invested £10.8billion in electrification over the past decade – but warned the investment was not equaled in infrastructure.
Mike Hawes, the head of SMMT, said: “We need to focus on the anxiety load.”
He added: “A few years ago there were only six EVs on the market, so they were about one in every 1,700 new car sales. Today it’s 140 EVs, with another 55 coming. one in six cars sold in the UK as pure electric.
“Despite this, the government is imposing incredibly strict regulations on the industry. 2035 is the end of the sale of non-zero emission cars, with vans discontinued by 2040. This year we will have a zero emission vehicle mandate zero, something that will seek to dictate the pace of future market transition, despite the fact that this market is changing rapidly.
“As an industry, we are ready for this challenge, but we cannot meet the needs of society without further regulation, the right to charge.”
Data shows there is one fast charger for every 32 BEVs sold in the UK, and while this is in line with other countries, Hawes noted the ratio is getting worse as EV sales outpace growth in charging points. He said this was particularly crucial given that one in three UK households lack off-street parking to install charging stations.
He added: “We need faster chargers to meet the surge in sales. Even more critical is the need to invest more in public charging to bring this network up to speed in order to cope with this transition that is taking place. accelerating rapidly. That’s why we’re calling for a national plan to get the right rates in the right place, which has to do with binding infrastructure targets that match those we have as an industry.”
The SMMT wants the pricing plan to be nationally coordinated and locally delivered, and overseen by a regulator.
The SMMT said investment in the production of electric car batteries is also essential for future growth. The £10.7 billion investment figure calculated by SMMT included production commitments to new battery “gigafactories” which are expected to take total annual battery production in the UK to 41 GWh by 2027. The UK needs around 60 GWh of battery generation capacity by 2030.
Noting that the European Union is on track to have 1.5 TWh of generating capacity by 2040, SMMT wants the government to adopt a streamlined process for obtaining permits and licenses for plant approvals. batteries, in order to accelerate investments in this field.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-23 08:45:31
