Net Zero Programme: Preparing for the 2030 Electric Vehicle transition requirements

As a part of the Net Zero programme series, this blog explores the requirements raised by the Climate Change Committee for electric vehicle infrastructure to be implemented by 2030. It also outlines how Towns can prepare their projects, and learn what funding is available to support them, focusing on the following areas:

• National Policy

• Trends

• Roles of Local Authorities in the low emission transition

• Issues and challenges.

1. National Policy

Why does the EV transition help with the journey to combat the climate crisis?

-        Transport is a ‘stubborn’ emission producing sector, which contributes to 27% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. The transition to EVs is therefore a critical tool to help decarbonise transport.

-        Transitioning to EVs will take advantage of the progress that has been made in electricity supply. i.e. solar and wind power and heating.

This is a summary of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure policies announced at a national level, in response to how EV transition is working to combat the climate crisis:

-        From 2035, all new cars, vans, and HGVs will need to be fully zero emissions at the tailpipe.

-        The UK government announced it will ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.

-        £2.3 billion will be invested to accelerate the rollout of charging infrastructure, including rapid charging points on major roads, and installing more on-street charging near homes and workplaces.

-        The new regulations (announced in November 2021) that legally required all new homes and buildings in England to install EV charging points from 2022 came into effect in June. As well as this being put into action, any new building developments with associated parking must have access to electric car charge points.

-        The UK Government has pledged a “£2.8 billion package of measures to support the switch to EVs, including £1 billion to build an internationally competitive EV supply chain to help the UK meet its needs.”

Can EVs help meet carbon and air quality targets?

Put simply, yes. It has been evidenced that low or zero-emission vehicles such as EVs will substantially reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions compared to gasoline vehicles.

In the UK, a battery electric car is estimated to have greenhouse gas emissions which are 66% lower than a petrol car and 60% lower than diesel.

As the Local Government Association’s article on the ‘key reasons why many councils are already promoting EVs and charging infrastructure’ states, “as the proportion of renewable and low carbon electricity supplied via the grid continues to grow, electric vehicle emissions will continue to fall in parallel.”

2. Trends

It’s important to understand who the users interested in EV charging infrastructure are, when and where they will need it, and in what capacity. 

The 2030 ban on new diesel and petrol cars will accelerate the uptake on EV charging infrastructure. This will subsequently increase demand for EV infrastructure. The following points are useful to consider when considering supply and demand in your Town:

-        Location: where people will need to install the charging units, and if their allocation is useful or viable.  Ensure you work with compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to ensure that everyone has equitable access to EV charging Infrastructure.

-        Vehicle user: the size and purpose of vehicles will indicate how often they need to re-charge. For example, whether they are a resident or visitor will determine whether they need a ‘slow charger’ (which residents and workers can operate), or whether they are likely to need ‘rapid chargers’ (in the Town centre for visitors, for example).

There are also different types of vehicles to consider. For example:

-        Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are powered by an AC motor.

-        Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) use batteries to power electric motors and another fuel, such as gasoline, to power the internal combustion engine.

-        Hybrid charger vehicles are like PHEVs, but don’t have external charging points.

-        Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) use hydrogen which is converted into electricity to kickstart the motor.

There are different ways these chargers can be used, and dependent on speed, will use different levels of energy. However, the implementation of these charging units are dependent both on suitability for the customer and location.

In the future, there are factors to consider that will impact the charging landscape and its development, such as battery performance and speed, and the provision of residential on-street charging. The Climate Change Committee’s briefing on the EV transition outlines some of these.  

3. Role of Local Authorities in the low emission transition

There are different levels of involvement Local Authorities can have in the implementation of charging infrastructure:

Direct control: Forming a partnership with the private sector. Or, Local Authorities can act as the sole operator with full ownership.

Influence: Acting as a broker across an area and bringing stakeholders together.

Policy area: Making provisions for charging points around new residential buildings. This would include requiring new charging points within Permitted Development Rights and putting in place a transition strategy to help them make this change.

We know that Towns have found it difficult to identify the stakeholders that will help them understand how to implement EV units in the right locations. To start with, we recommend initially contacting:

-        EV charge-point providers

-        Local Authorities – contact details will depend on the authority in question

-        Electrical Network operators

-        Distribution Network Operations (DNOs)

3.1. Issues and challenges: Understanding the scale of EV charging needed from 2030

Establishing what infrastructure specifications are best suited to your Town, engaging with the relevant stakeholders, and choosing your involvement level are common challenges. The key to answering these questions is establishing your demand – to help with this, ask yourself the following questions:

-        What does the current energy scenario forecasts tell us, and how will they impact EV infrastructure rollout?  You can then use this to calculate how many charging points will be needed between now and full EV adoption*.

-        What types of chargers will be needed?

-        How much additional demand will this place on substations – and energy demand on the grid?

-        How should these charge points be spread across the town?

*National Grid provides and publishes Future Energy Scenarios (FES), which includes forecast EV uptake and impact on energy demand. FES can be used can be used to inform network planning, investment decisions and government policy, and outlines four different, credible pathways for the future of energy between now and 2050. 

4. Issues and Challenges: The role of local authorities in supporting the implementation of this infrastructure

The Local Authorities can play a pivotal role in accelerating EV Infrastructure rollout, one of which is securing funds for this rollout and to invest in different types of interventions (i.e. subsidising grid connection costs). It is the role of Local Authorities to secure funds for an EV infrastructure rollout.

The funds are available in the financial year 2022-2023 for this are:

-        On street residential charge point scheme: £20 million of funding is available to local authorities for eligible projects for this scheme. There is no strict maximum or minimum project size, and the remaining cost can also come from local authority budget if, for example, the local authority is going to own and operate the infrastructure. To receive funding, you must be able to complete a project by 31 March 2024.

-        Local EV infrastructure fund: The £450 million local EV infrastructure (LEVI) Fund will help local authorities leverage private sector investment into their local charging networks, and put in place long term, sustainable charging infrastructure.

You can find more information on each of these funds here, and help on how to apply for these grants here.

Some of the most common delivery structures for the implementation of EV infrastructure are outlined below. When choosing an approach, it’s important to consider who the EV chargers are for, how to delegate the roles within your delivery approach once it’s been chosen, and how to ensure sufficient funds throughout the process.

Delivery structures:

Little risk and no control: Local authority has very limited influence on the plan to implement this infrastructure.

SPV/Joint venture: The local authority’s role – and thus, risk, return, complexity faced, etc. can range from passive to active.

Full owned operator: Everything is owned and managed by the authority and might use private sector to outsource, but the authority is operationally responsible.  

Conclusion

Reaching EV infrastructure rollout by 2030 will require bold actions, understanding, and continued engagement amongst Towns to share experience and lessons learned throughout their process of implementation. By doing this, we can contribute to more sustainable projects and future proof Towns moving forwards.

Overall, by identifying the demand for this infrastructure and in what capacity, with the funds that are available, you can make the positive strides to reach these legislative goals.