As focus moves to UK’s charging infrastructure, EV Energy Taskforce signposts route to a delivery of overall system success through their electric transition reports.
With road transport’s electric revolution gathering in pace, the groundbreaking, Government-backed, Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce (EVET) has published four new reports covering key elements of the electric transition in road transport. They define the conditions required to enable the UK to capture the benefits from the integration of EVET’s transport and energy systems.
The Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce was established in September 2018 as an initiative announced at the Prime Minister’s Zero Emission Vehicle Summit in Birmingham. The Taskforce was set up to make suggestions to Government and industry to ensure that the Great Britain (GB) energy system is ready and able to facilitate and exploit the mass adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs).
The primary focus of policymakers’ attention is now moving to the UK’s EV recharging infrastructure as demand for plug-in vehicles is accelerating.
For the first time, with a collaborative input from over 350 leading UK organisations, the influential Taskforce brings together, senior stakeholders from energy, infrastructure, automotive and transport sectors. Participants collaborate with both government and policymakers to ensure that there are critical systems and procedures in place to enable the optimal integration of the UK’s energy and transport systems to deliver overall system success.
Encouraging investment in public EV charging within the UK
As awareness and excitement for electric vehicles intensifies, ‘charging anxiety’ has replaced ‘range anxiety’ as a key hurdle to EV adoption. Whilst this is partly as a result of a lack of consumer understanding and ‘misinformation’, there’s no doubt that further investment in the UK’s public charging infrastructure is required.
The study performed by the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce explores the different business models currently utilised and those expected to develop in the charging market. It provides policymakers with the information and analysis required to make clear, bold decisions and provide the solutions and incentives necessary to encourage the development of a fully functioning EV market.
Commercial EV fleet charging requirements
Commercial EV fleets play a pivotal role in the UK economy and could lead our electric vehicle revolution. However, whilst many UK operators have ambitious targets to electrify by 2030, the perceived lack of an adequate charging infrastructure is often cited as a key barrier to the wide roll-out of electrified fleets.
This report provides insights into industries’ opinion of the current EV charging options and, crucially, their views on future requirements to enable the mass uptake of EVs by fleets. Key stakeholders from public and private sector fleet operators provide their assessments, along with those from local government, infrastructure and energy sectors.
These findings inform the EV Energy Taskforce modelling used to assess future charging infrastructure requirements.
Cyber security and smart charging
Just as data currently dominates our daily digital lives, it is also at the heart of the EV Energy Taskforce’s smart charging aspirations and an intrinsic part of achieving their UK’s electric revolution and zero emission targets. It’s therefore imperative that data and security standards and protocols are established now, as the market undergoes rapid growth.
Their report explores the issues and uncertainties around charging device interoperability, cyber security, data privacy and grid flexibility and stability; plus, the interventions and actions urgently required to overcome these challenges.
This necessitates a collaborative, iterative approach by all stakeholders to define and advise government on the standards and specifications needed to ensure an efficient, equitable and affordable roll-out of smart EV charging infrastructures in the UK.
Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce’s data accessibility and privacy
EV Energy Taskforce’s future EV ownership experience will be driven and enhanced by data, between charge point operators and the energy system. This promises a personalised and seamless user journey that’s better for the environment and our wallets, but it is dependent upon consumers being willing to share their data, something which poses challenges. This study recognises the vital importance of data privacy and security, as well as the need to build consumer trust and confidence in our EV charging systems.
By mapping out the EV data requirements for smart charging between the network, charge point, vehicle and consumer, this report provides a gap analysis to identify what additional data is needed, how it should be provided and under what conditions. It also identifies data solutions for optimising the UK’s energy system to deliver better consumer outcomes and policy decisions.
