The AA has reacted with disappointment to the news that
investment in green technology is at its lowest for ten years,
following the Environmental Audit Committee’s alarm at the
‘dramatic collapse’ in the government’s green investment*.
Ian Crowder, the AA’s electric vehicle spokesman commented: “The
statement from MP, chair of the Environmental
Audit Committee, makes depressing reading.
“While sales of electric vehicles jumped by 30% last year there
remains significant barriers for drivers – and top is the
perceived lack of charging points. In an AA-Populus poll of
18,574 drivers**, nearly two thirds (62%) said that they
would be more likely to buy an EV is there was an adequate
charging infrastructure.
“While around 400 charging points are being installed every
month***, there remains very poor charging access for people who
live in flats or terraced housing in towns and cities, and thus
don’t have the luxury of being able charge an EV at home.
Yet these are the people who would benefit most from EV ownership
while local authorities would most benefit from the resulting
improvement in air quality.
“A £4.5m Government pot was announced in December 2016 to help
such drivers take advantage of the ‘electric car revolution’ with
itson-street residential
charge-point scheme but few councils have taken the
incentive up, which was acknowledged in a parliamentary debate on
the issue on 9th May****.”
, Director of UK100, has
pointed out [in the report] that local authorities struggle to
access public finance because they do not have the capacity or
expertise to access the various ‘pots of money’ available within
different Government offices, such as the Office for Low Emission
Vehicles (OLEV).
Crowder says: “The grants provide 75% for eligible charging
schemes. But that still means councils have to stump up 25%
of the cost of installing charging points at a time when their
budgets have been squeezed to the point that they have to
prioritise every penny they spend.
“On top of that they are facing a rapidly growing pothole menace
that needs urgent attention so it’s understandable that there
seems to be little enthusiasm for the scheme.”
Crowder suggests that if the Government wants to see wider
take-up of electric vehicles it must take a more pragmatic and
generous approach to local authorities and make the application
process simpler.
“We don’t want a repetition of the time when cleaner LPG
dual-fuel vehicles were becoming available but the fuel
infrastructure wasn’t developed quickly enough. Investment in the
electric vehicle charging network needs to develop quickly to
avoid a situation where there are insufficient charging points
for the number of cars being built.
“The Government has a 2040 target to end the production of pure
petrol or diesel fuelled vehicles but unless the charging
infrastructure is there to support that ambition, it will be
difficult for consumers to convert. OLEV has announced £30
million of investment in 21 vehicle-to-grid projects that could
enable electric vehicles to deliver power back to the ‘smart’
grid. But of course, it needs the EV power delivery points
to be in place to enable that to happen.”
