• • • NEWS • • •
The gulf between the number of electric vehicles on the road and public charge points
he gulf between the number of electric vehicles on the road and public charge points has more than doubled in parts of the country in a year. According to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), across the UK, rthere were 36 electric cars on the road to every standard public charger last year, compared with 31 at the end of 2021.
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In the northwest of England, the worst-served area, there were 85 EVs to every charger by the end of last year, compared with 49 in 2021. The ratio was 78:1 in the southwest, up from 44:1; 43:1 in Northern Ireland, up from 17:1; and 66:1 in the southeast, up from 44:1. Unsurprisingly, London was the best-served region at 11:1, compared with 10:1 in 2021.
The findings from the SMMT will intensify concerns over the so-called range anxiety of drivers who worry about reaching their destination on a single charge.
Electric car drivers faced long queues at charging stations over the bank holiday weekend, in a repeat of chaos over Christmas. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said that the growing number of EVs on the road was significantly outpacing the installation of public charge points. He said: “These ratios of vehicles to charger need to improve. I used to say, ‘No one who has driven an EV goes back to petrol/diesel as the driving experience is fantastic’. Now I’m beginning to hear people saying, ‘I just can’t live with the anxiety around where I am going to charge’.”
There are 1.1 million EVs on the road in the UK, up from 748,349 in 2021. From next year, manufacturers will be mandated on how many zero-emission vehicles they sell, starting at 22% of their total production. That will rise to 28% of sales in 2025, 80% in 2030 and 100% in 2035.
David Hall, VP Power Systems at Schneider Electric UK & Ireland, said that to make EVs the viable solution, it is integral we have the infrastructure in place so that consumers are incentivised to make the switch to electric. “With this is the need to install EV chargers in vast quantities, evenly throughout the UK,” Mr Hall said. “As we push the pedal on a low carbon future, it’s up to utilities companies to become the driving force behind this transition to renewables, with the primary focus on innovation and infrastructure upgrades. EV uptake is set to increase electricity consumption by 40%, so we need to ensure that the right infrastructure is in place to manage this usage spike without any disruption on our electrical grids.” Mr Hall added: “Harnessing a smarter grid will help create network efficiencies and avoid pressures caused by the increase in electricity in a cost-effective and resilient way. “With the ability to operate independently from larger grids to store and reserve energy, smart grids have the potential to enable seamless EV charging, with user contingencies, to develop a safe, efficient EV charging infrastructure in the UK.”
he Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and BSI have published a new Corrigendum to the 18th Edition Wiring Regulations (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022). ECA has welcomed the changes and corrections in the Corrigendum, which help to clarify the requirements of the 18th Edition (BS 7671:2018+A2:2022) and the intent behind the Regulations.
The Corrigendum makes changes to several areas of BS 7671 and comes into effect immediately. It is available for free to download from the IET and BSI.
ECA advises electrotechnical and engineering
services contractors to note in any relevant documentation that they are completing projects
8 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • JUNE 2023
Wiring Regulations update: corrigendum published T
to this Corrigendum, to avoid any confusion going forward. Gary Parker, senior technical manager at ECA,
said: “This Corrigendum introduces several small, but very important, changes to the Wiring Regulations which ECA Members and the wider industry need to be aware of. “Among these is a change to protected escape route requirements, SPD requirements, and a brand-new regulation relating to protected escape routes for medical locations. “ECA’s dedicated Technical Team will provide further detailed information for ECA Members, including a breakdown of the changes and what Members can do to stay compliant.”
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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