How will the UK Electrical Vehicle charging network facilitate the upcoming ban on the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles?

The UK is set to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. However, the existing Electric Vehicle (EV) charging network will need to be grown significantly to accommodate the expected increase in demand. To find out what needs to be done, Market Infra has spoken to EV expert, Simon Pickett.

 Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles are being driven out of the UK and Electric Vehicles (EV) will soon be taking their place. In November last year, Boris Johnson announced a new, Ten Point Green Plan, which brought forward the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 to 2030.

This raises the question, will the EV charging network be able to cope with a move away from petrol and diesel? To find out, Market Infra has spoken to Simon Pickett, EV Project Development Manager at SSE Enterprise. Simon has shared his knowledge of the current EV landscape and offered his predictions as to what shape the future EV charging network will take in the next decade

 The charging network in 2021

EVs are currently in the minority on UK roads. According to research conducted by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, there were 108,205 Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) registered in the UK in 2020, making up 16.5% of total new car registrations. Still, this figure is growing fast, as 2020 saw an 185.9% increase in BEV registrations from 2019, the biggest of any vehicle type. Accompanying this was also a 55% and 39% reduction in diesel and petrol car registrations, respectively. These EVs are currently supported by a network of 21,006 charge points (as of 07.01.21), as detailed by Zap-Map, which is more than double the number of refuelling stations in the UK.

However, Simon has pointed out: ‘there’s a lot more to do with the UK charging network’. In its current state, our network cannot yet support the demand associated with everyone shifting to EVs and charging times are considerably longer than refuelling with petrol or diesel. From empty, a Nissan Leaf e+, one of the most popular EVs currently on the market, needs 11.5 hours to fully charge when using a 7kW charger. This inevitably feeds into consumer ‘range anxiety’, with the range of the Leaf only reaching roughly 239 miles, which is considerably less than the 600 miles a reliable diesel vehicle can manage.

 That being said, the network is growing rapidly, and a paradigm shift in the way we approach refuelling is coming. The reality is that EVs sit idle for most of the time, with most charging taking place without any fuss or effort while the driver/passengers are doing other things such as sleeping, working, shopping or socialising. In this sense, the longer ‘refuelling’ times don’t present an issue.

 Simon also mentioned that, ‘there has been an interesting challenge to overcome in the UK; things are very different from the way Europe has developed. Europe has largely been driven towards interoperability, and the sharing of access to charging is commonplace across Charge Point Operators.’ In contrast, the UK’s charging network has been developed in a piecemeal fashion through various combinations of government funding and private investment. ‘Consequently, the growth of the charging network has been led by competing organisations, rather than those looking at how to create the right network for the end-users.’ Through relying exclusively on competition as the primary route to expand the network, the UK has seen the introduction of several apps, pricing structures and approaches which were not required to be harmonised with each other to the challenge of EV deployment, which could be argued hasn’t been the most effective approach to date.

In addition, Simon pointed out that a lot of the focus on EV charge point roll-out has been directed toward London and the A-road/motorway networks. Quoting an article from smarttransport.org, Simon explained that ‘62% of English councils had not received any government funding for EV charge points, and only 23% of London councils hadn’t received any funding in the same period.’

Whilst admitting that these factors, to some extent, have slowed down progress, Simon was still confident that the UK was ‘in a good position’ relating to the progress it has made. So, what is being done to ensure our charging network is ready for the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars?

 Moving towards 2030

There are many products and solutions currently available that could help EVs overtake ICEs as the UK’s vehicles of choice. It is already known that the majority of charging will take place at home or in depots; however, significantly more accessible charging will be required. To find out which is most likely to succeed, Market Infra asked Simon to rate a number of products and solutions out of ten, with ten being most likely to become a key feature in the transition to a 100% EV future.

EV Charging hubs

The most likely of these solutions to become a key feature of the charging network, EV Charging hubs comprise groups of charge points in suitable transit or parking locations; be that the regular routes of operational fleets or places people stop for longer periods of time. The slower version of these will be fast charging hubs (typically up to 7kW sockets) where the socialisation of grid connection costs, the security of a shared parking area and the demand for charging from those without driveways can provide benefit to a selection of users. Alternatively, and with a greater focus on commercial use and longer distance travel, rapid/ultra-rapid (>50kw) charging hubs will be utilised.

Simon stated: ‘yes, I would expect to see these a lot more over the next decade. For the sake of cost and logic you are likely to see large numbers of places where cars are regularly parked be converted into these charging hubs.’ ‘Opportunity charging’, as Simon referred to it, is expected to be a common practice in places like ‘railway car parks, multi-storey car parks, theme parks/attractions and shopping centres. Further to this, more ‘on route’ options will appear for vans and in the longer term HGVs.’

Whilst most fast-charging hubs are currently free of charge, ‘this likely to change in the longer term, especially at large hubs where installation costs are high’. However, at smaller hub locations (e.g., a supermarket car park) ‘usage might still be free, as the costs of electricity and installation can be offset with retail sales.’ 

Lamp Post Charging

A solution to help motorists who are restricted to on-street parking, Lamp Post Charging has the potential to form a key part of our charging infrastructure over the next decade. ‘There is absolutely a business case here’, Simon told us. ‘The solution is logical, as you’ve already got the electrical networks and infrastructure in place, so you can modify it to enable, albeit quite slow, EV charging and most users here will be parked for a considerable period of time.’

However, Simon went on to explain that Lamp Post Charging is not without its difficulties. ‘Specifically, in the UK, we have moved our lamp posts to the back of the pavement to prevent vehicle collisions. This now presents a problem, as any trailing cable presents a potential hazard to pedestrians.’ As well, where lamp posts have been fitted with LEDs ‘there is a limit to how much charge they can provide, as they are often only capable of producing 3-5kW, compared to 7kW produced by standard domestic fast charge points.’

 Nevertheless, Simon saw this as ‘likely to be significant’ in the coming years – ‘especially on residential streets as the cost of civils and laying new cable networks here can be particularly high.’

Wireless induction pads

An advanced solution, could wireless induction pads be the answer to concerns around cable safety? Not at the minute, according to Simon.

Whilst the technology does exist, it is the need for costly hardware on both the vehicle and the ground, as well as the challenge of making it a safe installation, that prevents this from being implemented on a larger and more accessible scale. ‘I expect the costs to remain high for a considerable period compared with a wall socket, which doesn’t usually require any civils. It also has a longer charge time and is a trip hazard where simply left on the ground.’

Nevertheless, Simon does see a situation in which it could be viable. ‘In some cases, induction charging may be useful on specific routes and in properly constructed bases. For example, it’s feasible that these could be installed in bus lanes, where buses are likely to stop for longer periods of time. It will be less common, but it would be successful where it is implemented.’

 Looking further into the future, Simon did see this becoming a more serious option. ‘In the longer term, if new roads are being constructed with connected cables underground, then possibly. Realistically, I don’t think we’ll see much of this in the next 10 years, but I’d like to be proven wrong.’

Ground mounted Armadillos

A method of kerbside charging, this EV charging solution may play a prominent role in the development on on-street charging in new build areas over the next decade. ‘There are a number of different solutions on the market but, ultimately, they are fulfilling the same purpose as lamp post chargers but with higher levels of power output. There is a need for them.’ In addition, as they are closer to the kerb, there is a reduced chance of cable-related injuries. However, Simon told us there is still ‘some ironing out to do. Putting something at knee level on the pavement may present additional safety concerns, so they will have to be suitably illuminated.’

Likely to be installed alongside new infrastructure, i.e., new roads and pavements, this technology is also focussed on other technologies besides EV charging. ‘I’d see them as being a part of a smart-city, connected hardware play. A lot of the street furniture that contains an EV charging facility could also provide access for street sensors or 5G data networks.’ It is this level of futureproofing that sees this technology into the next decade.

So, what shape will the UK EV charging network take post the 2030 ban?

 Collecting his final thoughts, Simon is expecting to see: ‘home charging continue as the primary solution for private EV users but predicts a significant uplift in rapid and ultra-rapid charging hubs’. He believes that opportunity charging is ‘likely to increase significantly’ as it becomes more and more available and as more commercial vehicles hit our roads making the business case more compelling for investors and fleet managers alike. For most fleets, privately installed fast charging hubs at depots or homes in turn supported by a large opportunity charging network will likely become the standard operating model.

As we move towards the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030 Simon does not expect this to ‘change massively in the future as EV deployment scales up; particularly given the new ways of working implemented throughout 2020.’ The development of lamp post charging and Armadillos will further support this trend, providing charge points for those restricted to on-street parking.

Finally, Simon added that improved accessibility in terms of payment is also likely to become a battleground over the next decade. ‘The majority of networks currently require authentication to access chargers; however, charge points with automatic authentication and billing will take over. Most importantly, access to multiple networks with a single account will make it even easier to plug in and charge; it is already clear that contactless payments are preferred to apps and this is the logical next stage.