ELECTRIC TRANSPORT EV INFRASTRUCTURE ROLLOUT
TIMESCALES: LACK OF AWARENESS PUTS 2030 DEADLINE IN JEOPARDY
According to a new survey, local authorities are significantly underestimating how long it will take to install electric vehicle (EV) charging networks when applying for Government funding – and this is putting the Government’s target of 300,000 public charge points by 2030 in jeopardy. Liberty Charge explains how going directly to a CPO offering a fully-funded solution can help reduce this time
A
new survey conducted by charge point operator (CPO) Liberty Charge,
targeting local authority professionals involved in EV charging infrastructure, has show that the length of time to install EV charging networks is being significantly underestimated. The survey highlighted the fact that
85% of local authorities believe it will take less than two years to install EV charging infrastructure, including charge point strategy creation, while nearly half (48%) believe it will take less than a year. The reality, however, is closer to three years.
OBSTACLES IN THE ROAD Before any installation works can begin, a local authority needs to define a charge point strategy, which includes recruiting an experienced lead. This process alone can take up to nine months. If Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
(LEVI) funding is chosen, experience of the pilot scheme has shown it can take 12 months for a funding decision. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) says it will release the full fund in two tranches: in the financial year 23/24, and another in 24/25. This suggests there could be another year to wait if the initial application is unsuccessful. Six months is then
required to identify the most appropriate sites, and a further three months for deployment – taking the total to 30 months, or two-and-half years. This process can be reduced to less than 15
months by going directly to a CPO offering a fully-funded solution. Liberty Charge’s end-to- end provision, for example, delivers (post strategy creation) within six months, with zero reliance on public funding.
A SLOW PROCESS With just 12% of the 300,000 charge points currently installed, Liberty Charge believes current progress is nothing short of glacially slow – and that the UK is not going achieve the number of charge points needed to switch to electric transport unless installation pace is ramped up very significantly. Neil Isaacson, CEO of Liberty Charge, believes
that, as the Government prepares to roll out its LEVI fund, local authorities must understand the timescales involved. He said: “As councils have not been given access to insight on timescales, they
24 ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS - Spring 2023
believe we have more time than we do to install the EV charging networks required to service demand. The reality is that we are way off track.” The survey also asked how long electric vehicle
charging networks would take to install without relying on Government funding, but still including strategy creation. Nearly six in ten (58%) believed it would take less than a year, and just 38% knew that a strategy was required to obtain Government funding or appoint a private CPO. Isaacson continued: “It is important that the correct focus is placed on strategy development. The 15 months we estimate when not using Government funding includes nine months for strategy creation, which is a vital part of creating charging networks that truly meet the needs of all residents – not just those that currently own an EV.”
Liberty Charge
www.libertycharge.com/local-authority-levi- funding/
www.essmag.co.uk
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