EV Roundtable discussion

The political will for greener vehicles is there, and the technical elements are coming together. The challenge that remains is the pace of uptake. Delegates at GreenFleet’s EV Roundtable discussed what needs to happen to get more fleets into zero and ultra-low emission vehicles

At the recent Roundtable on the Future of Electric Vehicles (EVs), held in July at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, we identified that, as in life generally, knowledge is power.

The Roundtable made up of businesses, local authorities, suppliers of vehicles and infrastructure, explored the barriers to EV adoption and how to overcome them, what EVs can do for a business and how to make the leap in reality. For many, changing to an electric vehicle still requires a leap of faith.

Nick Ebsworth and Jason Stonier of Siemens, spoke about the “three Es” that they believe will drive the uptake of electric vehicles; Education, Engineering and Enforcement.

We explored the education/encouragement approach in last month’s issue, but it was the engineering and enforcement angle that really started to strike a chord with attendees.

As Jason said, “power companies are seeing not only the challenges EVs present but also the opportunities; battery storage of electricity that can be returned to the grid, should power demand outstrip supply”.

With smart metering and managed charging and infrastructure technologies, Siemens is one of the key partners for organisations looking to collaborate to introduce electric vehicles with reliable and trustworthy charging infrastructure. Such companies should be seen as a resource by businesses exploring how to make the necessary changes to move to EVs.

Additionally, Siemens provide enforcement systems such as bay detection software to identify when a charger space is occupied but the vehicle isn’t being charged, denying others of the precious resource. The local authority is able to mobilise parking enforcement officers. In the majority of instances an internal combustion engine vehicle is found to have occupied the space and an automatic fine can be generated. Local authorities have seen increased levels of compliance from drivers, and contrary to initial thoughts, less not more fines being issued.

Tim Cooper from the AA saw a different view of the future where charging could be done as and when you need, as part of your journey and felt that the current model for charging actually puts people off of using electric vehicles.

Simple and interoperable

Whatever the future charging solutions our conclusion was that system providers will come together to ensure simplicity and interoperability. Additionally, the market for energy, via infrastructure, would develop in such a way as to initially charge “non member” customers a premium for using a specific charger before sharing data across networks in order to charge a flat fee becomes the norm.
    
Fleet operators are driving the conversion from internal combustion engines to electric and will continue to push for more and easier charging solutions.
    
Michael Cook from Babcock talked about app based solutions that can ease the use of chargers: “Knowing that a charger is occupied or free is key to planning routes and detours.”
    
Siemens went on to outline the potential use of loyalty bonuses and the ability to reserve a charger and improve the customer experience.
    
The room nodded sagely as we all agreed that a really simple piece of the charging jigsaw is in every home and workplace; the three pin plug socket.
    
It was widely agreed that the best way to approach charging was to do the majority of it at home or work. Public infrastructure meanwhile will become more of a confidence booster for new EV drivers, as much as a practical asset.
    
David McDonna from SG Fleet made the point well when he said, “until we get huge numbers of electric vehicles on our roads the charging problems are relatively manageable.” What is also true is that the automotive, charging and energy sector have a golden opportunity to get the infrastructure and interfaces right, now, in order to avoid the charging and refuelling process becoming chaotic.

Government work to incentivise

The forum discussed the role of government and also that of Go Ultra-Low, the collaboration of seven vehicle manufacturers to promote electric and ultra low emission vehicles.
    
The current legislative framework and industry initiatives were discussed by delegates, who agreed that they are broadly fit for purpose to bring about collaboration and ultimately help new businesses and consumers join in the electric vehicle revolution.
    
Michael Cook from Babcock said that he still sees hybrid technology as a legitimate stepping stone for companies wanting to reduce emissions but not having the confidence to go fully electric. He went on to point out that the UK is a massive automotive manufacturer, engines making up a massive segment, employing tens of thousands of people and so a balance must be struck between the push to reduce carbon emissions and economic realities for the government.
    
Steve Beattie, head of business sales at Volvo pointed out that the lead times for new vehicles can be extensive, meaning that “manufacturers have to be fleet of foot to meet the legislative demands of governments world wide”.
    
With grants available for up to 35 per cent of the total purchase price of an electric car, up to a maximum of £4,500, the UK government has long supported the uptake of clean vehicles. Further grants are available for electric vans, motorcycles and scooters.
    
In addition, grants are available for the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure at home and at work places and special provisions are made for taxi operators.

Taxation

Changes to benefit in kind taxation will influence buying decisions as the vehicles with longer electric ranges will pay less tax. With over one million new cars on the road every year, change will come quickly but it was widely agreed that we are at a very exciting and challenging point in vehicle transformation.
    
Marc Garrett, senior funding advisor at Link Asset Services sought more long term commitments from the Chancellor, up to 2024, in terms of taxation rates for low emission vehicles to give a feeling of certainty for the automotive industry and business buyers enabling informed buying decisions. With the current UK government up to its eyeballs in Brexit negotiations and with a slim working majority, certainty is likely to be in very short supply.
    
What is being experienced at present is the “pull through” of electric vehicles into the domestic and second hand market as users look to replicate savings and efficiencies from their work vehicles. There are excellent used electric vehicle bargains to be found as early business and public sector adopters rotate stock and update to newer models with greater ranges.

Human nature

We discussed the slow uptake of electric vehicles and why we, as humans, can readily accept some new technologies, such a smart phones but resist electric vehicles. How can we help to get more people engaged and drive change?

Volume automotive players doing more in the electric vehicle space will help. It was felt that having only a couple of major manufacturers filling a “niche” is not sufficient to bring about the necessary market share in order for EVs to realise their full potential. However, powertrains are coming down in price to rival the costs of ICE engines so parity of cost will be a big incentive, if running costs remain lower for EVs.
    
Dave McDonna firmly believes from his work with sgfleet that there are still too many variables in the decision making process for the consumer to make confident choices regarding EVs compared to ICE vehicles. Customers remain confused by the claimed range against the actual they can expect, as well as charging – and sadly showroom staff rarely help the situation with a serious lack of knowledge. With an industry still discovering how best to promote electric we wondered if there were other ways to grow market share.
    
We explored the best way that operators can work together to better communicate and pass on good practice and experience. Trust came out as a key ingredient to better communication and it was felt that people trust those that are out there living with and using electric vehicles every day. Seeing more and more companies and consumers using electric vehicles is beginning to normalise them and this is encouraging people to have new conversations and develop their own understanding of what the benefits would be for them.

Technology is continuing to develop at an incredible pace and it was strongly felt that this is the very best way to convince people of the viability of electric vehicles. With the advent of batteries with longer ranges and ultimately super capacitors, able to charge rapidly, on the move through induction charging we may well look back to the end of this decade and laugh at having to plug a vehicle in to the mains.

Clean air priorities

“Ultra Low Emission Zones are on the horizon for many UK towns and cities and this may also be a catalyst for greater uptake,” believes Michael Cook of Babcock, if the lessons of London are anything to go by. Strong leadership and tight policies are key to supporting change.
    
Owain Pearce from Oxford City Council agreed and informed the group that his council are making Oxford a low emission zone in two years time in order to drive that change and improve air quality. Suppliers will be required to demonstrate their commitment to a low emission zone and include clean vehicles and practices in their tender submissions. Stakeholder engagement is ongoing to smooth the introduction. A low emission zone is also planned for Nottingham and engaging with taxi firms is key for them.
    
Transport for Manchester, represented by David Ives, noted the move from CO2 being the focus to NOx and air quality.
    
The political will is there for cleaner, greener vehicles, the technical elements are coming together and practice is changing. It was widely agreed by this expert panel that the pace of uptake is now the challenge. Time is short and commercial opportunities beckon for those brave enough to realise them. L