EV Energy Taskforce releases electric road transport transition reports
With road transport’s electric revolution gathering pace, the Government-backed Electric Vehicle (EV) Energy Taskforce has published four new reports covering key elements of the electric transition in road transport, defining the conditions required to enable the UK to capture the benefits from the integration of our transport and energy systems.
The primary focus of policymakers’ attention is now moving to the UK’s EV recharging infrastructure as demand for plug-in vehicles – and cars, in particular – is taking off.
With input from over 350 leading UK organisations, the influential Taskforce brings together – for the first time – senior stakeholders from energy, infrastructure, automotive and transport sectors.
Participants collaborate with government and policymakers to ensure that there are critical systems and procedures in place to enable the optimal integration of the UK’s energy and transport systems and deliver overall system success.
Phase Three of the Taskforce’s work is now focused on defining the minimum, enabling conditions required to deliver the EV charging infrastructure we need and to capture the potential benefits to our energy and transport systems as the transition progresses.
Encouraging Investment in Public EV Charging in the UK
As awareness of, and excitement for, electric vehicles grows, ‘charging anxiety’ has replaced range anxiety as a key barrier to EV adoption. Whilst this is partly down to a lack of consumer understanding and ‘misinformation’, there’s no doubt that further investment in the UK’s public charging infrastructure is required, if we’re to give motorists both the means and confidence to switch to electric and achieve our phase-out target dates.
The study explores the different business models currently used and those expected to develop in the charging market. It provides policymakers with the information and analysis required to make clear, bold decisions to help remove the barriers and provide the solutions and incentives necessary to encourage the development of a fully functioning market.
Commercial EV Fleet Charging Requirements
Commercial fleets play a pivotal role in the UK economy and could lead our electric vehicle revolution. However, whilst many UK operators have ambitious targets to electrify by 2030, the perceived lack of an adequate charging infrastructure is often cited as a key barrier to the wide roll-out of electrified fleets.
This report provides insights into industries’ opinion of the current EV charging options and, crucially, their views on future requirements to enable the mass uptake of EVs by fleets.
Key stakeholders from public and private sector fleet operators provide their assessments, along with those from local government, infrastructure and energy sectors. These findings inform the EV Energy Taskforce modelling used to assess our future charging infrastructure requirements.
Cyber Security and Smart Charging
Just as data now dominates our daily digital lives, it too is at the heart of our smart charging aspirations and an intrinsic part of achieving the UK’s electric revolution and zero emission targets.
It’s therefore imperative that data and security standards and protocols are established now, as the market undergoes rapid growth, before it’s too late.
This report explores the issues and uncertainties around charging device interoperability, cyber security, data privacy and grid flexibility and stability; plus the interventions and actions urgently required to overcome these challenges.
Clearly no small task, this necessitates a collaborative, iterative approach by all stakeholders to now define and advise government on the standards and specifications needed to ensure an efficient, equitable and affordable roll-out of smart EV charging infrastructure in the UK.
Data Accessibility and Privacy
Our future EV ownership experience will be driven and enhanced by data – from ourselves and between charge point operators and the energy system.
This promises a personalised and seamless user journey that’s better for us, the environment and our wallets, but it’s completely dependent upon consumers being willing to share their data – something which poses challenges.
This study recognises the vital importance of data privacy and security and the need to build consumer trust and confidence in our EV charging systems.
By mapping out the EV data requirements for smart charging between the network, charge point, vehicle and consumer, this report provides a gap analysis to identify what additional data is needed, how it should be provided and under what conditions.
It also identifies the key issues we face and offers data solutions for optimising the UK’s energy system to deliver better consumer outcomes and policy decisions.
The reports and related resources can be downloaded here.
Images: courtesy EV Energy Taskforce
