A rise in workplace charging and zero-emission HGVs
Bernard Magee, Director – eMobility Infrastructure Solutions Siemens – shares his views on the market trends ahead with a focus on workplace charging and the decarbonisation of HGVs.
In a push to build the UK electrical infrastructure, the government announced that all new buildings in 2022 are to have electric vehicle charging points, alongside all new construction projects, workplace and retail buildings.
The electrical infrastructure in the UK is growing and there are around 48,000 public charging points in almost 18,000 locations (according to Zap-Map). The UK is also aiming to install 145,000 charging points by 2030 in tandem with a ban on the sale of new internal combustion engines by 2030 (2035 for motorcycles) and zero tailpipe emissions from 2035.
There will be a rise in workplace charging. Businesses are recognising the need to build a sustainable fleet and support these vehicles with workplace charging. This, combined with the increasing numbers of EV models in the market, will help to support domestic adoption and, in turn, further influence the hospitality and leisure sector to provide charging in their car parks.
With HGVs accounting for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions and 13% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions for road transport in the UK according to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) the UK will also become the first country in the world to commit to phasing out new, non-zero emission heavy goods vehicles weighing 26 tonnes and under by 2035, with all new HGVs sold in the UK to be zero emission by 2040. This Government directive, one of the Glasgow breakthroughs, launched at COP26, paves the way for further innovation in the eTruck and eVan space. We’re seeing the well-known OEMs coming to market with hugely innovative eHGVs and vans, whilst simultaneously new brands are picking up the mantel, introducing their vehicles to the space. 2022 will be the year we’ll see more and more of these eVehicles on roads up and down the country.
There will also be a need to pick up the pace with regards to installing a nationwide charging infrastructure network, more affordable vehicles, as well as the necessary grid upgrades to commercial premises to cope with the increase in energy usage.
Image courtesy of Siemens.
