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A freedom of information request has revealed that 52% of UK councils made no investment in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure last year.

While some parts of the country have made sizable investments in EV infrastructure, others have spent nothing, and/or received no government funding to do so.

The findings are presented in a new report from DevicePilot, which argues that the UK is not yet ready for the inevitable arrival of universal EV ownership.

“Universal EV ownership is not a target, it’s an inevitability,” said Pilgrim Beart, DevicePilot CEO and co-founder.

“In the next ten years, more than half the cars on the road will be electric. To facilitate this transformation, the UK must install tens of thousands of chargepoints reaching every corner of the country.

“EVs are vital to the UK’s carbon emissions targets, but while some parts of the UK are on schedule to meet greater EV demands, others areas lack the funding to do anything whatsoever.

“I have a lot of sympathy for councils whose budgets have been stretched to breaking point by the pandemic and budget cuts, but we cannot continue to let the divide between the EV haves and have nots grow further. It should be the UK’s short-term goal to ensure everyone in the country can reap the benefits of EVs, not just the privileged few.”

The report reveals that nearly two thirds of UK councils (60%) received complaints about the availability, reliability or number of charging points over the last 12 months.

It also highlghts that, on average, UK councils received 15% less funding from the Government for EV charging infrastructure in the last 12 months compared to the same period in 2020.

London councils spent more than double the national average on EV charging in 2021 (£204k) and are planning to install 39 new chargers per 100,000 people in 2022, compared to a national average of just nine per 100,000 people.

Nearly half of councils (46%) reported that they don’t know how many chargepoints they will install in 2022, or are planning to install zero

On average, councils are planning to install 52 charging points in their area by the end of 2022 (up from 28 in 2021). The average cost of a council-bought chargepoint in the UK is £6,000.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Four of the world’s biggest carmakers have failed to sign a COP 26 summit pledge to only sell zero emissions cars and vans by 2035.

Volkswagen, Toyota, Renault-Nissan and Hyundai-Kia were not among signatories to the climate summit declaration.

China and US, which are the world’s biggest car markets, were also absent from the list of signatories.

Big car manufacturers that did sign up included Ford, General Motors, and Jaguar Land Rover.

What did the pledge say?

The declaration, which was made at the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow, called on signatories to speed up the global transition from cars that burn fossil fuels to zero emissions vehicles, which include electric cars and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

The agreement signed by governments and city authorities across the world commits signatories to ending the sale of new cars that produce emissions in “leading markets” by 2035, and globally by 2040.

Investors and banks said they would support the transition, and some fleet owners pledged to make their car and van fleets green.

Who signed up the list?

Some major carmakers were signatories, including Ford, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.

Governments that signed up included Canada, Denmark, India, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and the UK – although Britain has already said it will ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

Some US cities and states put their names to the list, including New York and California.

Investors including Aviva and NatWest, and fleet owners including supermarkets Sainsbury’s and Tesco also signed up.

Who was absent from the list?

While some parts of the US such as Dallas, Los Angeles and New York City signed up, the US itself, which is the biggest car market, remained off the list.

China, which is the second-largest car market, was also absent. Germany, the largest car market in the EU, did not sign up.

The world’s largest car manufacturers, VW and Toyota, were not on the list, alongside rival car giants Renault-Nissan and Hyundai-Kia.

Volkswagen, which recently unveiled its ID.5 electric SUV, said that while it was creating electrified products, the environmental benefits of signing up to the pledge were not clear-cut when electricity production in the US and China is still heavily reliant on burning fossil fuels.

A spokesman said major markets relying on fossil fuels to produce electricity means “the argument isn’t there” for pledging to only sell electric and other zero emissions cars by 2035, adding: “We are just being realistic.”

“We believe that an accelerated shift to electro mobility has to go in line with an energy transition towards 100% renewables,” the car giant said in a statement.

“The Volkswagen Group, representing business activities in all major markets worldwide, decided not to sign the declaration at this point in time.”

Toyota, which put its first commercially produced electric cars on the road in 1997, said it will “provide the most suitable vehicles, including zero emission products, in response to the diverse economic environments, clean energy and charging infrastructure readiness, industrial policies, and customer needs in each country and region”.

Why does this matter?

Transport in the EU and the US accounts for about a third of carbon dioxide emissions from those locations, which is one of the greenhouse gases contributing to global warming.

Of that total, in the EU, about 70% comes from road transportation.

For this declaration in Glasgow to have been a breakthrough, it needed the backing of major governments and car manufacturers, Professor David Bailey of the University of Birmingham Business School said.

“Without the US, China and Germany on board, we are not going to get vehicle emissions where we need to be by 2050,” Professor Bailey said, adding that the big car makers also need to be “on board”.

He said that the US “has a penchant for big pick-up” trucks that will need to be electrified eventually, but a 2035 target for new sales would not gain popular support for US President Joe Biden.

The car industry in Germany is split between car electrification and wanting to use synthetic fuels, while China is heavily reliant on coal, and building more coal power stations.

China setting zero emissions vehicles sales targets would beg the question about why it was not committing to more electricity generation from renewables, he added.

Were there any more COP 26 transport announcements?

The UK launched the Zero Emission Vehicle Transition Council (ZEVTC), a group of 30 countries that “have agreed to work together to make zero emission vehicles the new normal”, the government said.

It also announced that all new heavy goods vehicles will be zero emission by 2040, with HGVs of 26 tonnes and under being phased out from 2035.

Industry body the Road Haulage Association said that it was “concerned about the timing of phasing out some sizes of new trucks from 2035”.

The RHA’s managing director of policy and public affairs, Rod McKenzie said:

“We support the government’s aim to decarbonise but the pace may be impossibly fast. Care is needed to ensure that all markets are served and future disruption to the supply chains are avoided.

“We would like the deadline extended for lorries over 18 tonnes by five years with support for hauliers in making the transition.

“Proven alternatives to diesel for all uses, locations, ranges and the heaviest trucks don’t yet exist. It will require continuous review of the timeline over coming years to ensure a sustainable and successful transition to zero tailpipe lorries.”

The UK also announced a new design for electric vehicle charge points “which could become as iconic as the Great British post box, London bus or black cab” it said.  By Graham Hill thanks to the BBC

Chemicals company Johnson Matthey has scrapped plans to capture a slice of the market for electric car batteries in a surprise move that saw its shares tumble up to 20%.

It said rivals were too far ahead in the technological race, and the battery chemicals arm would go up for sale.

Johnson Matthey is a major producer of catalytic converters that clean exhaust emissions from petrol and diesel cars.

But with the pending ban on such cars, it needs alternative revenue sources.

The company is thought to have spent hundreds of millions of pounds trying to commercialise a chemicals project called eLNO, aimed at improving the efficiency of batteries.

There were high hopes the company would play a key role in helping the UK develop a large-scale electric battery manufacturing sector.

But chief executive Robert MacLeod, who also announced on Thursday he would step down next year, said the potential returns from the battery division could not justify further investment.

He said: “This decision will allow us to accelerate our investment and focus on more attractive growth areas, especially where we have leadership positions such as in hydrogen technologies, circularity and the decarbonisation of the chemicals value chain,”

Development of better-performing lithium-ion batteries is key to producing electric cars that can travel further on a single charge. The market is dominated by companies in China, South Korean and Japan.

An exit from the market would more strongly tie Johnson Matthey’s fate to the internal combustion engine at a time when the future of transport looks to be electric, said Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Laura Hoy.

“Ultimately the group will be starting over from square one as it looks for ways to change alongside the new greener auto industry,” she said.

Charlie Bentley, analyst at Jefferies, said that while the development of hydrogen transport will grow, “it is very hard to believe these can be sufficient revenue drivers and replace the very significant earnings” from Johnson Matthey’s current operations.

Mr MacLeod is being replaced in March next year by Liam Condon, the head of Germany’s Bayer crop science unit.

“After nearly eight years as chief executive, the time is right for me to move on. I am confident in our future growth prospects,” said Mr MacLeod.  By Graham Hill thanks to the BBC

A new survey commissioned by electric fuel card provider Paua has found that 40% of fleets do not use any public electric vehicle (EV) chargers. Similar surveys have shown that consumers are equally reticent to use them.

The research found that billing has proved particularly challenging for fleets. With 75 public charging networks in the UK, there is a challenge with apps, cards and membership schemes that fleet managers don’t have time to organise and consumers find very confusing.

While many chargepoints now provide contactless card payment for instant access, this often comes at a premium charging rate.

Of those surveyed, 85% of fleet managers agreed they would use public charging if there was a single solution to access multiple chargepoints with one single bill.

“What is incredible about this response is the missed opportunity that public charging networks are facing due to the complexity that fleets face accessing and using the solution,” said Niall Riddell, CEO and co-founder of Paua.

He added: “Paua’s electric fuel card solution seeks to overcome these challenges enabling fleets easier access to public charging.”

The research identifies that more than 70% of car fleets and 76% of van fleets are intending to order electric vehicles during 2022. Paua believes that public charging solutions are an important part of a fleet electrification strategy, freeing fleets from depot and home-based charging solutions.

Public charging can also avoid expensive depot and grid upgrades. It enables fleets the ability to consider electrifying alternative routes and to consider smaller battery vehicles. But the key to use of public charging for fleets, according to Paua, is ensuring that drivers have a simple solution enabling them to find the correct chargepoint, initiate a charge event and then for a single bill to end up with the fleet manager.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News.

The 100% discount on plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs) entering London’s congestion charge zone has been scrapped.

The PHEV exemption was withdrawn on Monday, October 25 to coincide with the launch of London’s expanded ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ).

The expanded ULEZ covers an area up to, but not including, the North Circular Road (A406) and South Circular Road (A205).

It is 18 times larger than the original central London ULEZ, which occupied the same area as the congestion charge zone.

Transport for London (TfL) estimates that 100,000 cars, 35,000 vans and 3,000 lorries could potentially be affected by the tighter standards in the expanded area every day.

Speaking at a Cross River Partnership webinar on the ULEZ expansion, Tanya Ferguson, senior policy and programmes officer for the Greater London Authority (GLA), said: “We’re ending the cleaner vehicle discount for plug-in hybrids in recognition of the point that vehicles (irrespective of emissions) contribute to congestion and we want to be encouraging a shift to walking, cycling and public transport.”

Prior to the change, only vehicles that emitted no more than 75g/km of CO2 and had a minimum 20-mile zero emission capable range, qualified for the 100% cleaner vehicle discount.

Now, only battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are eligible for the cleaner vehicle discount, which Transport for London (TfL) says will be scrapped altogether from December 25, 2025.

From this date, it says all vehicle owners, unless in receipt of another discount or exemption, will need to pay to enter the congestion charge zone during charging hours.

Currently, the congestion charge, which is in addition to the ULEZ charge, operates from 7am to 10pm, seven days a week, with drivers paying £15 to enter the zone.

The congestion charge zone fee was increased by 30%, from £11.50 a day, and the hours of operation extended by four hours a day and applied at weekends for the first time from June 2020, as a result of a funding agreement between the Government and TfL.

However, TfL is running a consultation on the future operation of the congestion charge, with the main proposals including no charges in the evenings to support London’s recovery, operating between 12-6pm on weekends and retaining the current charge level of £15.

The proposed new weekend charging hours are targeted at reducing congestion at the busiest times, says TfL.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Survey also shows young drivers were more likely to panic buy fuel than older motorists.

Recent fuel shortages have made a third of UK motorists more likely to buy an electric vehicle (EV), according to new research out this week. A study of 2,000 UK drivers by Volkswagen Financial Services found 35 percent of those questioned said they would be more likely to go electric thanks to the fuel shortage.

The shortages of late September and early October of this year saw queues at petrol stations amid a panic buying spree after a small number of petrol stations announced they were unable to get fuel deliveries. As a result, some petrol stations limited the amount customers could buy, while others had to close pumps because they ran out of fuel.

Volkswagen Financial Services’ study found 30 percent of 18-24-year-olds and 31 percent of 25-34-year-olds admitted to panic-buying fuel. In comparison, just seven percent of 55-64-year-olds made the same admission, as did a mere three percent of 65-74-year-olds.

Regionally, the south-east – one of the regions hit hardest by the fuel shortage – saw the most widespread panic buying, with 17 percent confessing they had headed to the pumps unnecessarily. That number fell to just seven percent in Scotland.

Perhaps more importantly, though, the Volkswagen Financial Services survey shows the impact of the shortage on buyers’ intentions, with more than a third saying they are more likely to go electric when they come to change their car. Similarly, 32 percent of Brits say they are likely to buy a second-hand electric vehicle when the time comes to change their car.

“Electric vehicles have never been more popular than they are today and it’s clear from our research that the recent fuel crisis has only accelerated the surge in demand for electric cars and their new technologies,” said Rebecca Whitmore, the electric vehicle senior product owner at Volkswagen Financial Services UK. “However, to meet the government’s decarbonisation targets, we need the take-up of EVs to be much higher.

“The average length of each car journey in the UK is fewer than 10 miles, so there’s still a lot of work to be done to alter the wider public’s perception of their driving habits, because an electric car would slot into the average person’s daily life more seamlessly than they probably imagine. As EV technology continues to improve and these vehicles continue to become more affordable and accessible, it won’t be too long before we have mainstream adoption in the UK.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Motor1.com

The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) is predicting record pump prices of 142ppl for petrol and 148ppl for diesel, set in April 2012, will be broken well before the end of the year.

Experian Catalist UK averages for October 19 were 141.35ppl and 144.84ppl, respectively.

The primary reason is the rise and rise of crude oil costs which recently hit $US85/barrel for Brent Crude.

This involves more than a 50% increase since January 2021 and has been caused by a cutback in production from OPEC countries and Russia at the same time as the global economies are staging a rapid economic turnround from the global pandemic, says the PRA.

There is no immediate sign of a change to this position and some analysts have talked about further oil price rises to $US100/barrel by Christmas.

Current average pump prices across the UK are being softened by some of the largest retailers who typically benefit from a three or even four-week lag to their delivered fuel prices.

Only last week, two major grocery retailers in Belfast were vying for business by offering fuel at below standard wholesale cost with pump prices as low as 125.9ppl for petrol and 130.9ppl for diesel.

Another less obvious reason for the wholesale price increase relates to the production profile obtaining in Western Europe, says the PRA.

S&P Global Platts advised PRA: “Physical spot market activity has seen Gasoline and diesel rise in tandem with the wider energy complex, and this has a knock-on effect, boosting retail prices for road and heating fuels.

“Lower stock levels in Northwest Europe are tightening supply and this is accompanied by stronger demand for gasoline in the US, which is an export outlet for the European gasoline market. There’s also stronger demand in the petrochemical sector, which is attracting certain components that would be otherwise destined to gasoline blending.

“The picture for diesel is not dissimilar, with limited refinery output coupled with stronger demand across Europe and a boost of demand from the heating fuels lifting values across the entire gasoil complex.”

The average price of a litre of petrol and diesel rose in September to make a tank £12 more expensive than a year ago, according to new RAC Fuel Watch data.

A full tank of diesel is now £76.59 – up £1.40 in September and £11.63 more than a year ago, the data found.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The Government needs to start developing a new road pricing scheme now to ensure a smooth transition from today’s emissions-based motoring tax regime.

That was the message from the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) to the Transport Committee, which is conducting an inquiry into road pricing.

BVRLA director of corporate affairs, Toby Poston, told MPs that there is a clear need for a new national road pricing scheme to be developed as more zero emission vehicles are seen on UK roads.

“We are removing fossil fuels from the equation, so the current emissions-based tax system will see revenues plummet,” he said.

“Any new road pricing scheme must be easy to pay and have the simple objective of providing a revenue-neutral replacement for fuel duty and Vehicle Excise Duty (VED).

“It should be based on a simple ‘distance driven’ model that considers vehicle weight, emissions and use case, with discounts given to shared mobility solutions – such as car clubs, rental cars, buses and taxis – to incentivise more sustainable travel choices.”

With the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and vans ending from 2030 and hybrids from 2035, and the Government consulting on a ban on new diesel trucks from 2040, the number of plug-in vehicle registrations is estimated to rise rapidly to around 3 million by 2025, 10 million by 2030 and 25 million by 2035.

KPMG’s Mobility 2030 team expects the already-growing sale of zero emission cars and vans to reach 98% of sales in 2031 and 27% of the parc by 2030.

Dwindling tax take from EVs

It leaves the Treasury urgently needing a plan to plug a potential £40bn shortfall from road taxes, including fuel duty.

At £28.4bn in 2019-2020 (excluding VAT), tax revenues from the fuel duty account for a significant 2% of GDP, while Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) receipts were estimated to account for £6.5bn.

Poston told the Transport Committee: “It is imperative that road pricing is considered and trialled now to ensure a smooth transition into a new system.

“Drivers and fleet operators need clarity on future taxation as they make the transition to zero emission road transport.”

The session also included representatives from RAC Foundation, the Renewable Energy Association and the Road Haulage Association. The phasing out of petrol and diesel vehicles puts around £34bn of fuel duty revenue at risk. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The Government published its Net Zero Strategy ahead of COP26, including proposals for a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate forcing manufacturers to sell a certain proportion of electric vehicles (EVs).

The new net zero strategy aims to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to reach a target of net zero by 2050.

It includes commitments around transport, including a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which it says will help deliver on the Government’s 2030 commitment to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, and 2035 commitment that all cars must be fully zero emissions capable.

It says that ministers will earmark a further £620 million for zero emission vehicle grants and EV infrastructure, including funding for local EV infrastructure, with a focus on local on street residential charging.

It is also allocating a further £350m of its £1 billion Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to support the electrification of UK vehicles and their supply chains.

Furthermore, it says it will expand zero emission road freight trials to include three zero emission HGV technologies at scale on UK roads to determine their operational benefits, as well as their infrastructure needs.

“A well-designed, flexible regulatory framework could help maintain or even increase this pace to ensure we deliver on our shared decarbonisation ambitions,” Mike Hawes, SMMT

In the forward for the new strategy, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, says: “This strategy sets out how we will make historic transitions to remove carbon from our power, retire the internal combustion engine from our vehicles and start to phase out gas boilers from our homes. But it also shows how we will do this fairly by making carbon-free alternatives cheaper.

“We will make sure what you pay for green, clean electricity is competitive with carbon-laden gas, and with most of our electricity coming from the wind farms of the North Sea or state-of-the-art British nuclear reactors we will reduce our vulnerability to sudden price rises caused by fluctuating international fossil fuel markets.”

The ZEV mandate will require a percentage of manufacturers’ new car and van sales to be zero emission each year from 2024.

ZEV mandate plans consulted on next year

The Government says it will consult on its ZEV mandate plans in early 2022. It will seek views on the design of the ZEV mandate (including uptake trajectories) and CO2 emissions regulation (as a backstop to ensure standards in the remainder of the fleet are maintained), and how and when targets will be set and enforced.

Gerry Keaney, chief executive of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), said: “This is uncharted territory for the automotive industry, and it is vital that any future ZEV mandate includes a review mechanism to assess potential market failures. The mandate must also take account of the very different uptake trajectories seen between cars and vans.”

The mandate, explains Keaney, will need to be backed up by some equally ambitious policy measures aimed at delivering EV demand.

He added: “We hope that next week’s Budget will see the Government commit to providing long-term financial support and tax incentives that will accelerate the roll-out of public and private charging infrastructure and absorb the price premium that many prospective electric vehicle users are still faced with.”  

Industry figures show more than 650,000 new plug-in cars have been registered in the UK since 2010, and more than one in seven cars sold so far in 2021 had a plug.

Furthermore, there are now 20 EV models that come with a range of more than 200 miles compared to the early Nissan Leaf models that delivered 60 miles, and battery prices are little more than a tenth of what they were in 2010.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said: “A well-designed, flexible regulatory framework could help maintain or even increase this pace to ensure we deliver on our shared decarbonisation ambitions.”

He continued: “To ensure we have the reliable, accessible and nationwide charge point network this transition needs, however, requires a similar regulatory approach.

“The announcement of additional funds for on-street residential charging must energise much-needed private sector investment but consumers will only have confidence in the future if there are commensurate and binding requirements on the infrastructure sector.

“Combining regulatory commitments with financial ones is the key to a successful transition to zero-emission road transport.”

Paul Willcox, managing director of Vauxhall, also welcomed the ZEV mandate plan, which he says will provide clarity to the UK motor industry.

He said: “Vauxhall believes a ZEV mandate can work in the UK provided there are complimentary targets on the other key parts of the electric vehicle ecosystem which are key to driving Britain to a more sustainable transport infrastructure.

“With our Ellesmere Port plant set to become the first electric vehicle only factory within the Stellantis group, we look forward to working with the Government on the detail of how a ZEV mandate can be implemented and help support a sustainable vehicle marketplace in the UK.”

Vauxhall has committed to only selling fully electric new cars and vans from 2028 – seven years ahead of the government’s deadline of 2035.

Additional targeted action ‘may be be required’

The Government announced it would end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030, last year.

The sale of new hybrid cars and vans that can drive a “significant distance” with no carbon coming out of the tailpipe will be allowed until 2035.

Government modelling suggests that, by 2050, total transport emissions, including international aviation and shipping, could need to drop by 76-86% compared to 2019, down to 23-40 MtCO2 e.

In the interim, it expects they could fall by 22-33% by 2030 and 46-59% by 2035, compared to 2019 levels.

These figures, it says, are based on an indicative transport sector pathway contributing to the whole-economy net zero and interim targets. Its potential pathway also indicates residual emissions from domestic transport could need to fall by around 34-45% by 2030 and 65-76% by 2035, relative to 2019 levels.

However, the net zero plan says that depending on progress in the sector, at some points additional targeted action may be be required, such as steps to reduce use of the most polluting cars and tackle urban congestion, to enable these targets to be met.

It says it will regularly review progress against its targets – publishing the next transport decarbonisation plan within five years – and continue to adapt and take further action if needed to decarbonise transport.

Iryna Kocharova head of sustainability at Lex Autolease, said: “We are pleased to hear that the Government has announced further plans to support the ambition outlined in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan. https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/latest-fleet-news/electric-fleet-news/2021/07/14/government-publishes-roadmap-to-decarbonising-transport-by-2050

“We welcome the commitment to investment in infrastructure and supply chain and would be supportive of a well-executed EV sales mandate that is carefully designed to sit alongside CO2 targets creating an overall scheme which is reasonable and proportionate.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Department for Transport proposes minimum level of charging infrastructure in car parks and inclusive design for EV chargers.

The Government is consulting on the availability and accessibility of public electric car charging infrastructure, seeking new powers to intervene in the private sector.

A new consultation launched by the Department for Transport (DfT) – and its subsidiary the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) – is part of a call for four pieces of primary legislation.

The first would grant the department new powers to set a minimum level of charging infrastructure in non-residential car parks, which landowners must adhere to. The DfT suggests one chargepoint for every 10 parking spaces would be a potential target, with cable routes for chargers in one in five spaces.

If granted these powers, the DfT says it would “not have immediate plans” to use them and would instead “continue to monitor the delivery of charging infrastructure”, using the powers only if deemed appropriate.

The Government wants similar powers obliging local authorities to plan and deliver EV future charging infrastructure plans, pointing the finger at councils that have “not yet identified what is needed” in their jurisdictions with regard to on-street chargepoints and rapid charging hubs.

New Rapid Charging Fund

The third piece of legislation relates to the new £950 million Rapid Charging Fund to finance the installation of additional or upgraded EV charging infrastructure at service stations on motorways and major A roads.

The fund covers only England, future-proofing the provision of EV charging on National Highways’ strategic road network. The Government now wants the power to require open tenders for new agreements with private firms, with a minimum of two chargepoint providers contracted at each service station, creating more competition between companies.

Finally, the Government is seeking EV drivers’ views on their experience at public chargepoints, with a view to improving accessibility for disabled motorists and making people safer when their car is charging.

The consultation is open until 11:45pm on Monday 22 November. Responses can be submitted on the DfT’s website, by email or by post. By Graham Hill thanks to Auto Express