Local authorities have been advised to be very careful with their commercial contracts with electric vehicle (EV) Charge Point Operators (CPO).
The warning was made to avoid falling into “common pitfalls around demanding too much from the private sector”, according to comments from The Transport Technology Forum’s (TTF) Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Working Group.
Meeting in Stafford, the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles said there are cases where the private sector have been put off from investing because of punitive clauses.
Examples included fixed concession fees set too high and leading to capital funding being spent on fees and reducing the number of charge points installed, or revenue shares set too high and kicking in too early reducing commerciality.
The recommendation was also for any revenue shares to be implemented after the cost of electricity was deducted. The meeting also heard that unreasonable termination clauses with limited rights or relief to the charge point operator have made projects uninvestable for the private sector.
Meanwhile Zapmap Insights reported on its latest survey of EV drivers’ attitudes and found that, while fewer people are concerned about charge point availability and reliability than last year, a growing number of people are worried about the rising cost of charging.
The meeting also heard details of Grid Smarter Cities’ kerbside booking platform and how it can be used to support EV charger bookings (pictured).
In a panel discussion including local authorities it was agreed that this would be advantageous in city centres and for some chargers in car parks but should not be considered for residential streets. One Working Group member likened charger booking to buying train tickets, pointing out that while some people are happy to plan their journeys in advance, others need the ability to turn up, pay and travel, and that there is a similar requirement for charge points.
The Working Group meeting, sponsored by Mobius Networks, discussed on-street charging solutions such as cross pavement cable channel solutions, and also the importance of accessibility and inclusivity in designing chargers. There was also a reminder of the need to factor cybersecurity into EV charge point infrastructure planning from the very beginning.
The meeting finished with a panel discussion which included a call for councils to move from the pilot phase to delivery. The suggestion to authorities beginning to deliver EV charging infrastructure was “copy your neighbour’s homework” and use protocols already being used, rather than start from scratch and build their own.
Working Group vice-chair Jon Lyons of Mobius Networks, said:
“Once again the local authorities and experts from the supply chain have got together in a room to discuss issues facing the industry and share best practice.
“This is exactly what the Transport Technology Forum was set up to do – to bring government, councils and the private sector together to make transport better, and the work out group is doing is certainly achieving that.”
Image courtesy of TTF
