Kieron Alsop, MD of EV charging specialists, Rolec, looks at why the growing popularity in electric vehicles is providing new opportunities for electricians.
With Electric Vehicle (EV) and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) registrations in the UK hitting a record high, electrical contractors nationwide are being presented with further opportunities for additional revenue streams by installing EV charging points.
This boom in motorists recognising the financial benefits of switching to an EV has led to the natural follow-on demand for domestic, commercial and public facing EV charging points rapidly increasing.
Government subsidies have partly fuelled this rise in popularity, with grant funding on offer to householders in the form of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles’ (OLEVs’) Electric Vehicle Homecharge scheme – and business owners via the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS).
A plethora of opportunities
UK based Rolec Services, the manufacturer and supplier of Europe’s widest range of EV charging points, is currently offering some of the lowest priced EV charging units under the domestic grant funded scheme. Rolec also has the largest number of approved charging points eligible for the WCS scheme.
Acceleration in EV demand
Recent industry figures continue to support the claims that UK domestic and commercial drivers are embracing the electric vehicle, and are switching from conventional combustion engines to EVs in large numbers. PHEV registrations alone are up 36% on last year’s figures.
Both the government and leading vehicle manufacturers are investing heavily to promote the benefits of electric vehicles – injecting billions of pounds in order to introduce exciting new EVs to the motoring marketplace and encourage EV uptake.
The EV industry itself continues to rapidly mature while the vehicles being produced constantly evolve. Increased ranges between charges, faster charging times, and other unique cutting-edge technologies are just some of the features which are seeing continual improvement.
The EV-lution is upon us
A rolling programme of implementing EV charging networks in cities, towns and villages is also being embarked upon by local authorities. Many planning applications already stipulate that EV charging considerations are mandatory as part of planning approval.
All in all it’s not hard to see why the installation of EV charging points are electrical contractors’ biggest opportunity since the introduction of solar power.
