Seven major British companies (BP, BT, Direct Line Group, Royal Mail, ScottishPower, Severn Trent, and Tesco) have joined forces to create the Electric Vehicle Fleet Accelerator (EVFA) and will work together to help accelerate the mass adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) across the UK.
The companies operate some of the largest commercial vehicle fleets in the country and in a report published last week they have outlined the actions needed from both industry and Government to help meet the UK’s ambitions for the electrification of road transport.
The report details how supportive Government policy could help unlock private sector investment of £50 billion in infrastructure and in electric fleets in the UK over the next five years. If the Government delivers on this agenda, the EVFA members have committed to converting the fleets involved to electric vehicles by 2030 and to buying British – buying 70,000 British-built vans by 2030 or sooner.
The report sets out detailed recommendations for action, immediately and over this next decade and by both industry and Government. It is focused on four key areas:
- Future-proofing the electricity network infrastructure: ensuring that price controls and funding measures reflect the scale of the challenge, the need to invest in the network ahead of need, and support levelling up with investment in areas the market doesn’t reach.
- Enabling the UK-wide rollout of charging infrastructure: fast-tracking EV charging infrastructure in the planning system, aligning with local authorities to unlock land for charging infrastructure, and setting clear funding frameworks.
- Overcoming demand obstacles: increasing capital support for grid reinforcement costs, introducing minimum standards for reliability, safety and interoperability, and improving access to public charging networks.
- Expanding the supply of UK-made vehicles: providing strong demand signals to OEMs from fleets, setting increasing requirements for zero-emissions vehicles for manufacturers, and incentivising second hand EV market with VAT exemption.