The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
today held a hearing on the subject of electric vehicles:
developing the market and infrastructure.
Witnesses were Des Quinn, National Officer, Unite the
Union; and David Wong, Senior Technology and Innovation Manager,
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Antoinette Sandwich started the session by asking about the
biggest challenges for electric vehicle production in the UK.
David Wong said the first challenge was on the technology side;
second was infrastructure - having the right connectors in the
right places; and the third challenge related to the business
environment and skills. Des Quinn added that the UK had made a
good start in facing the challenges, especially with the £500
million put aside in the last budget, but we had a long way to
catch up with investment made in countries such as America and
China.
David Wong said the understanding was that the automotive sector
deal was a ‘live document’ in the sense it was evolving.
“Ultimately, the strategy must be commensurate with ambition” and
it should focus on the supply chain.
asked about supply chain. He
said that according to the London Electric Vehicle Company, local
content was 40%. How could we do more? David Wong said it was
necessary to look at competitive and comparative advantages. So
we needed to look at what we were good at and where there was
greatest value. For example, we were probably best at design and
development of battery cells and that was where we should
concentrate. Lower value components could be sourced from
elsewhere.
asked about UK policy to
attract investment in the automotive industry as a whole, which
had been falling over the past three years. Des Quinn said
sometimes it was easier to buy-in the solution. David Wong added
that it would help to have some clarity from the government on
issues such as the ‘road to zero’ strategy and long-term plans
for investment.
Asked whether the policy of phasing out internal combustion
engines was right, Des Quinn thought there may always be a need
for them, perhaps in larger trucks, but that may change in the
future. David Wong said ending the sale of conventional petrol
and diesel engines by 2040 did not mean internal combustion
engines would be gone because there would still be hybrids.
asked about the requirement for
new skills. Des Quinn thought up-skilling should be a priority.
Manufacturers did have people with the correct skills, but the
government needed to be involved.
asked if the industry was doing
enough to sell the improved driving experience of electric cars.
David Wong commented that people needed to be sold on both the
experience of EVs and their purpose.
asked if it was realistic for
the UK to become a world-leader in battery technology. David Wong
explained there were different facets to battery technology. The
question was whether we played catch-up with other countries or
concentrated on what we were good at.
Asked if the UK could be a world-leader in autonomous
vehicles, David Wong said the UK could be leaders in one or
more of three areas: design, development and manufacturing;
testing and validation; and deployment. On deployment, we needed
to hasten the speed of regulation if we wanted to have level 3
vehicles on UK roads, something that was done in Germany last
May.
asked about the end-of-life of
vehicles, saying there was concern that not all components of EVs
could be recycled. Des Quinn suggested there was an opportunity
to be world leaders in the recycling of battery packs, which
could create a whole new industry. David Wong agreed that was
technically possible, but the challenge was finding the right
business model for the re-use of batteries. It was more feasible
to re-use battery packs in innovative ways than to take them
apart, which was difficult and time-consuming.
Committee chairman concluded the session by
asking about the second-hand market for EVs. David Wong said that
would improve over time.
