Craig Slater, Managing Director of Sevadis, discusses the outlook for the electric vehicle industry and what we can take away from last year.
Reaching Net Zero by 2050 perhaps seems like a long way away, but really, it’s not. We’re just under 30 years away from fulfilling the nation’s commitment of becoming a completely decarbonised country. Transport constitutes around almost one quarter (23%) of the UK’s CO2 emissions, meaning that electrification plays a paramount role in the road to Net Zero. But, for targets to be reached, the need for readily available and reliable EV charging points remains a key element to accommodate both the current and future EV drivers on the nation’s roads.
The ban on new ICE vehicles set to be implemented in 2030 has unsurprisingly prompted drivers to consider an EV as their next vehicle choice, whilst also encouraging wider discussions amongst businesses and organisations when contemplating environmental and sustainability strategies. It’s no news that although the appetite for the adoption of electric vehicles exists, factors such as delivery lead times are prohibiting quicker uptake. That being said, businesses and organisations are planning ahead, taking advantage of infrastructure grants available to them and implementing EV chargepoint roll-out plans to ensure both company fleet drivers and visitors are within reach of the facilities to recharge.
What have we learned?
What we’ve learned from last year is that the elimination of the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which enabled home-owners to benefit from grant funding towards their chosen EV charging point, created concerns for electrical contractors who were carrying out domestic installations. However, with the introduction of a diverse range of EV infrastructure grants, as well as the remaining Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS), doors were open for new, fresh business via the commercial installations route. The introduction of further fiscal support, combined with businesses and organisations ‘thinking green and going green’, meant that electrical contractors have been able to diversify their portfolio, reaching territories they perhaps wouldn’t have prior to the new level of funding available.
This pattern of greater opportunities in commercial EV installations remains strong for 2023 as we edge closer to the ICE ban, as well as businesses and their sustainability targets. The agenda for this year remains the same as the previous; a nationwide roll-out of EV charging points is required to increase and encourage EV uptake. But, for the roll-out to be future-proofed and of quality, reliability of EV charging points is critical in generating consumer confidence, because with confidence breeds demand for EVs, and with that comes opportunities for EV chargepoint installations.
Starting the year on a high
2023 has already started on a high for the general EV industry with many drivers making the all-important switch. Figures will only increase as OEMs introduce new vehicles to the market; businesses make the shift to operating zero emission fleets and consumers make sustainably conscious decisions about the way they travel.
For electrical contractors, the electrification of the nation presents ample opportunities in the immediate, near and far future.
Get more details about the Sevadis range of EV charging solutions here
