A new guide has been launched today by Energy UK to help fleets and businesses in Greater London to embrace electric vehicles (EVs).
The guide, ‘Connecting your Fleet’, provides clear advice to help London businesses understand the impact of EV charging on power supply and explains options to minimise the cost and complexity of a power supply upgrade. Key options to consider, outlined in the guide include making energy efficiency improvements, installing chargepoints that can charge smartly or installing on-site generation, among other options.
The guide brings together a range of other resources to help businesses better understand the options they have, who to contact for further information and how to make the process quicker and cheaper. It also highlights case studies of London businesses already rolling out electric vehicles to their fleet.
Energy UK – the trade association for the GB energy industry – has led the production of this guide in collaboration with UK Power Networks, the network operator responsible for the electricity network covering the majority of Greater London, and with support from industry colleagues on the London EV Infrastructure Taskforce, including the BVRLA, Transport for London and BEAMA.
Emma Pinchbeck, Chief Executive of Energy UK said:
“To meet our Net Zero target and to improve air quality we need a rapid decarbonisation of transport. This guide will help fleets and businesses plan for the electric vehicle transition. I’d like to thank all the organisations that contributed and have collaborated with us on this guide.”
Neil Madgwick, Head of Connections at UK Power Networks, said:
“We were delighted to be involved in the development of this guide to help London businesses transition to a low carbon future. It provides lots of practical advice and tangible examples that will enable business to get their EV fleets up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Christina Calderato, Transport for London’s Head of Transport Strategy and Planning, said:
“A rapid switch from highly polluting to electric vehicles is vital if we are to clean up London’s toxic air and stem the tide of climate change. Heavily polluted cities have an impact on their residents, both in shortening people’s lives and affecting the quality of them.
“The economic recovery from the pandemic has to be green and sustainable, so anything that makes it easier for businesses to switch to cleaner vehicles is to be celebrated. This guide gives good practical advice on what industry needs to consider before installing electric charging points and will support the goals of the Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Delivery Plan.”
BVRLA Chief Executive, Gerry Keaney, said:
“We are delighted that Energy UK has produced this guide for fleets that are considering installing EV chargepoints. Our members have told us that this can be a very expensive, confusing and time-consuming experience, particularly where the installation requires an upgrade to the local power supply. This timely guide sets out some of the challenges that can arise and provides some really useful tips and advice on how fleets can make the process quicker and cheaper.”
Notes
- You can access the ‘Connect your Fleet’ guide here
- The Mayor of London’s EV Infrastructure Taskforce’s work culminated in the London EV Infrastructure Delivery Plan, launched in June 2019.
- The Delivery Plan identified six key challenges around land and energy, operational and user requirements, and investment uncertainty. Eight enablers to help tackle these issues were outlined with a number of Taskforce members committing to taking forward pieces of work.
- This guide is the output associated with one of those enablers, on alternative solutions to upgrading the grid connection when installing EV chargepoints.
- The focus of this guide is Greater London but the principles are applicable across Great Britain. With industry colleagues we will explore turning this guide into something that applies to the whole of Great Britain.
- 50% of all new vehicles registered per annum in the UK are owned or used for business purposes. The fleet sector is also now responsible for purchasing 80% of all Battery Electric Vehicles sold (Source: BVRLA).