Latest news with #charginginfrastructure
The Guardian
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Labour scraps £950m EV rapid charging fund first announced by Conservatives
Labour ministers have scrapped a promise by the previous government for a £950m fund for installing electric car chargers near motorways, instead setting aside a smaller sum mainly for on-street charging points. The rapid charging fund (RCF) was first announced in 2020 by Rishi Sunak, then Conservative chancellor, with the aim of supporting upgrades to the grid so that more electric vehicles could be rapidly charged at the same time. However, it was mired in delays amid concerns it could unfairly benefit some motorway service companies. The Department for Transport said the RCF had never formally been included in budget plans, so the promise was unfunded. The Guardian revealed in March that ministers were considering directing proposed funding away from motorway services, amid criticisms of the fund's design from industry. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has committed £400m over the next five years 'to support the rollout of charging infrastructure' in this month's spending review, after announcing £200m for charging at the autumn budget. It is understood much of the spending will support on-street charge points in poorer areas, where private-sector investment has lagged behind. However, some people in the charging industry said the government should have honoured the £950m pledge in full, even if the money was redirected towards other incentives for people to switch to EVs. John Lewis, the chief executive at which operates on-street chargers, welcomed the £400m pledge. However, he said: 'The key question now is: couldn't the full amount have been directed towards the EV effort – whether through the continued rollout of on-street charging or other consumer incentives – to give people greater confidence to make the switch to electric?' The number of electric car chargers in the UK is rising rapidly, passing 80,000 in May, according to data company Zap Map. That represented a 29% increase compared with a year earlier, while the number of rapid chargers with power above 50kW rose by a third. Not all chargers are created equal More and more people are buying electric cars, and are having to grapple with charging for the first time. However, not all chargers are created equal, and the profusion of units can cause confusion. Charging speeds are measured by power output in kilowatts (kW), while battery capacity is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh). For example, a Nissan Leaf has 39kWh of battery capacity, while a Tesla Model Y has 60kWh. Recharge times vary depending on battery size: divide the battery size by the power to get a very rough idea of how many hours it will take to charge. (E.g., a 60kWh battery at a 22kW charger would take about three hours.) The quicker the charge, the more it tends to cost. Slow: up to 8kW Common at homes, on-street chargers and places cars hang around like car parks or hotels. Suitable for charging overnight. Plugging in with a UK three-pin plug to the mains at home will deliver about 2.3kW – although it is not recommended. Fast: 8kW to 49kW Found at urban sites like supermarkets, shopping centres or car parks. Capable of charging a smaller battery in a few hours. Rapid: 50kW to 150kW Typically found close to big roads for journey charging, but also increasingly found in locations such as supermarkets or gyms with short dwell times. 50kW could give 80% charge in less than an hour. Ultra-rapid: 150kW and above Most chargers being installed at motorway services or dedicated charging hubs are now at least 150kW. Many newer cars can now handle 150kW, and several can charge at speeds of over 300kW, adding hundreds of miles of range in around 10 minutes. Increasing the number of public chargers is seen as crucial to persuading people to switch to electric cars. However, the focus has shifted from rapid chargers, which can allay 'range anxiety' on longer journeys, to the slower on-street chargers needed for car owners who do not have private parking spaces. Ian Johnston, the chief executive of Osprey Charging, said: 'New funding should be more effectively deployed on projects in prime locations where the grid connection costs render the site unviable – whether A roads, underserved regions or the small number of motorway locations with unviable grid – rather than gifted to all motorway sites regardless of the costs, as was envisaged under the RCF.' Johnston also called for changes to road signage permissions to allow charge points to be easily advertised to drivers. Quentin Willson, the founder of FairCharge, a group campaigning for cheaper charging, said the full £950m should have been spent on accelerating the switch to electric cars. 'Withholding unused RCF funds and not diverting them towards other EV charging initiatives isn't a great look for government,' he said. 'It opens them to the obvious questions about their commitment to the EV transition.' Willson, a former presenter of the Top Gear TV programme, said the government should also cut VAT on public charging to match the lower rates available on home electricity. A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 'The rapid charging fund was designed to support the rollout of charging infrastructure on motorways and major A roads – but the previous government did not set out detailed plans to deliver this. 'Since the fund was announced in 2020, the market has changed significantly, with the number of open-access rapid and ultra-rapid charge points within one mile of the strategic road network almost quadrupling in the last three years alone.'
Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Times
Boris Johnson's failed £1bn EV charger fund killed off by Labour
Boris Johnson's near-£1 billion fund to roll out charge points on motorways has been killed off after failing to attract applications from service station operators. The £950 million Rapid Charging Fund was unveiled by the former prime minister in 2021 to support the plan to install more than 6,000 super-fast charge points across England's motorways by 2035. The scheme was designed to provide a springboard for the UK to 'lead the western world in the provision of rapid and ultra-rapid public chargers'. Government sources confirmed this weekend that the fund had finally been scrapped in favour of a £400 million initiative designed to avoid the pitfalls of Johnson's scheme, which was shunned by motorway services operators. It comes as: ⬤ the government confirmed that company car tax breaks for electric vehicles (EVs) will be extended until 2030;⬤ polling by Ipsos Mori showed that worries about a lack of charging infrastructure are the main barrier to drivers switching from petrol or diesel cars to an EV; and ⬤ experts say UK EV public charging costs are the highest in Europe, with drivers paying up to £670 a year more compared with petrol or diesel. Johnson's Rapid Charging Fund formed part of his ten-point plan for a green revolution. Funding was designed to provide 'support on rapid charge points on motorways and major roads to dash any anxiety around long journeys'. The initiative is understood to have failed to garner interest from motorway service operators such as Moto, Welcome Break and Roadchef as pilot schemes proved commercially unattractive. Among the complaints about the scheme were being bogged down in bureaucracy and being asked to commit to long-term power agreements that could lock in high costs years down the line. This weekend's confirmation of the decision to scrap Johnson's fund follows reports this year that ministers were looking into a revamp. The £400 million scheme for the deployment of charging infrastructure, announced during the Comprehensive Spending Review this month, is part of a broader package to support the uptake of zero-emission vehicles. Ministers this weekend confirmed that company car tax breaks for EVs would remain in force until the end of the decade, although discounted tax rates would rise to 9 per cent by 2030 from 3 per cent currently. The Department for Transport said: 'We're investing over £4 billion to support both industry and consumers in making the switch to electric vehicles, including by continuing to offer lower tax rates for EVs than those for traditional combustion engines.' A perceived lack of charging points remains a major barrier to switch to an EV, however. New polling by Ipsos Mori found that while 53 per cent of car owners said that they plan to replace their car by 2028, only a quarter expect that this replacement will be an EV. Concern about range is 'significant', the polling found. 'But underneath this concern our data suggests a level of nervousness and sense of a lack of information about EV charging, especially in public locations. It may be more accurate to talk about 'charge anxiety' rather than 'range anxiety',' Ipsos Mori said, in a report prepared for the Motability Scheme. For those with disabilities, the concern is more stark, with 69 per cent of respondents from within the Motability Scheme saying that they were worried about the distance an EV could travel on a single charge. Sales of battery electric vehicles grew 25.8 per cent in May and represent more than one in five (21.8 per cent of all new car sales), according to industry figures. Separate analysis concludes that the UK has become a global leader outside China in the uptake of EVs. But it warns that the cost of running zero-emission vehicles could outstrip that of a petrol or diesel powered alternative. UK EV public charging costs are the highest in Europe, according to a report by BNEF, a researcher owned by Bloomberg. This means that drivers will pay between £300 to £670 more a year depending on charger speed compared with petrol, the report's authors found. Drivers with off-street parking or those able to charge at home fare better, however. Despite UK residential electricity being among the most expensive in Europe, EV drivers would save an average of about £290 a year if vehicles were charged at home, the report found. Analysis by the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit in 2023, cited by the government this year, found that new petrol cars could cost approximately £700 a year more to run than electric models.
Reuters
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Willingness to switch to EVs fades faster in Europe than US, Shell survey shows
LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - Drivers are becoming more reluctant to switch to electric vehicles from combustion engines and the trend is more pronounced in Europe than in the United States, a survey published by Shell (SHEL.L), opens new tab on Tuesday showed. The main obstacle is cost, according to the survey of 15,000 drivers across the world, including Britain, China, Germany and the United States. "Europe surprised us," said David Bunch, Shell's chief for mobility and convenience. "The single biggest barrier to entry is the cost of the vehicle. Range anxiety is still there but it's diminishing." Electric vehicles are on average up to 30% more expensive than internal combustion engine cars. This year, 41% of respondents in Europe said they would consider switching to an electric car compared with 48% last year, while in the United States the number fell three percentage points to 31%, the survey showed. In terms of the pace at which the charging experience is improving, only about half of European drivers said public charging had improved in the last year, below China's 74% and 80% in the United States. Only 17% of European drivers asked said public charging offered value for money, compared with 69% in China and 71% in the United States. Shell runs 75,000 charging points and focuses its EV strategy on fast, on-the-go charging points rather than home-charging. Its core EV markets are China, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, the Netherlands and the United States.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Willingness to switch to EVs fades faster in Europe than US, Shell survey shows
LONDON (Reuters) -Drivers are becoming more reluctant to switch to electric vehicles from combustion engines and the trend is more pronounced in Europe than in the United States, a survey published by Shell on Tuesday showed. The main obstacle is cost, according to the survey of 15,000 drivers across the world, including Britain, China, Germany and the United States. "Europe surprised us," said David Bunch, Shell's chief for mobility and convenience. "The single biggest barrier to entry is the cost of the vehicle. Range anxiety is still there but it's diminishing." Electric vehicles are on average up to 30% more expensive than internal combustion engine cars. This year, 41% of respondents in Europe said they would consider switching to an electric car compared with 48% last year, while in the United States the number fell three percentage points to 31%, the survey showed. In terms of the pace at which the charging experience is improving, only about half of European drivers said public charging had improved in the last year, below China's 74% and 80% in the United States. Only 17% of European drivers asked said public charging offered value for money, compared with 69% in China and 71% in the United States. Shell runs 75,000 charging points and focuses its EV strategy on fast, on-the-go charging points rather than home-charging. Its core EV markets are China, Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, the Netherlands and the United States.
Arabian Business
29-05-2025
- Automotive
- Arabian Business
Porsche, Shell partner to install 133 EV charging points across Oman by 2026
Porsche Centre Oman has announced a partnership with Shell Oman Marketing Company to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the Sultanate. This includes plans to install 133 charging points by the end of 2026. The agreement includes the installation of at least eight co-branded Porsche and Shell DC high-performance charging stations and 125 AC Porsche Destination Chargers at locations throughout Oman. Shell Oman and Porsche Centre announce electric vehicle charging infrastructure expansion Porsche Centre Oman, operated by SATA L.L.C., will offer customers who purchase new electric vehicles from June 1, 2025 a two-year subscription package. The package provides 2,250 kWh of charging at Porsche-branded DC high-performance charging sites at no cost, with additional charging available at preferential rates thereafter. Customers will also have the option to purchase subscription packages separately. The AC Porsche Destination Chargers will remain free for Porsche owners. 'Today marks a significant step forward in our commitment to a more sustainable future. Through this collaboration with Shell Oman, we are proud to lead the charge – quite literally – in building the infrastructure needed to support electromobility in the Sultanate,' Samir Abdul Rasool Qassim Al Zadjali, Chief Executive Officer, Porsche Centre Oman said. Al Zadjali said the introduction of both high-performance and destination chargers would meet the evolving needs of customers whilst supporting Oman's vision for electromobility and progress. 'Our collaboration with Shell marks a major milestone in accelerating EV adoption in Oman,' he added. The high-performance DC chargers will be integrated into Shell Oman's service station network, providing EV drivers with charging solutions in urban centres and beyond. 'At Shell, we are committed to driving more sustainable mobility solutions. This partnership reinforces our dedication to providing a reliable EV charging infrastructure in Oman. This partnership marks a significant milestone in expanding Oman's EV infrastructure at key destinations. It underscores our commitment to feasible, scalable, and more sustainable consumer-focused solutions, built through strong collaboration with key stakeholders and guided by a clear national roadmap,' Burair Al Lawati, General Manager – Strategy & Energy Transition, Shell Oman added. Al Lawati expressed appreciation to Porsche's authorised importer in Oman, SATA LLC, and to Porsche teams regionally and globally for their support. 'Together, we are creating a EV ecosystem that empowers motorists with the infrastructure, reliability, and peace of mind they need to make the transition to electric vehicles,' he said. The first chargers from the collaboration are already installed and available for use.
