Top story in the newsletter this week… I can reveal that Octopus Energy’s EV arm is seeking to raise several hundred million in fresh debt funding, as a document obtained by The Fast Charge reveals the UK’s largest energy supplier lobbied ministers to cover losses on its EV fleet.

Elsewhere… The government excludes VAT from its charging price review, flash charging comes to Britain, and EVA England publishes a fresh paper highlighting how the EV transition is at risk of becoming two-tier.

As always, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn. If you are attending MOVE next week, drop me a note – let’s get a coffee.

🐙 Octopus Electric Vehicles has a £111m hole - here’s how it’s trying to plug it

Summary: The EV leasing business that sits under Octopus Energy is lining up to raise hundreds of millions in new debt funding, The Fast Charge has learned. This comes despite the company having raised £2 billion since its founding in 2018, with £500 million of that only being secured in November 2025.

According to its latest accounts… Octopus Electric Vehicles (OEV) ended 2025 with a net liability position of £111 million. This is an increase from £76 million in the previous year. Auditors at Deloitte only signed off on OEV’s accounts because of a letter of support from its parent, Octopus Energy Group. Without this support, the business would be unable to continue operating.

While continuing to operate at a loss… A source with knowledge of the current dealmaking has told The Fast Charge that the new money will go towards continued expansion. This was confirmed with another source close to Octopus, who added the company had no shortage of interest from financers and that investors remain very happy. The expectation is that OEV wants to capitalise on the increased interest in EVs, where new registrations are at record highs in the face of rising fuel prices.

I contacted Octopus about this story, including the debt funding, and they declined to comment on the record.

Let’s take a step back from the above… While sales are soaring today, they have not always been. And as a first mover, OEV is known to have had significant exposure in previous years to, in its own words, an “unprecedented decline” in EV residual values.

These words come from a consultation response written by OEV and obtained by The Fast Charge. The document is from early 2025, when the UK government sought views on amending the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. In OEV’s submission to ministers, over the course of two pages, the leasing firm set out an idea for taxpayers to share in the losses on each leased car due to the “heightened volatility” of residual values. Octopus argued this would be akin to a “contract for difference“ model “rather than just a subsidy.”

Here’s a snapshot from OEV’s document that explains how the proposed scheme would work:

Octopus argues that their scheme would be good for taxpayers. Sources at Octopus have told me this idea was not unique to them, and that several other leasing firms made similar asks. Octopus believes its scheme could enable them to significantly lower prices for consumers, as a state-backed guarantee would provide the leasing industry confidence to expand. Octopus has said it believes the scheme would be net neutral or even positive for the public. I also understand that a private sector solution is being explored alongside asking for government support.

For now, the idea has not been adopted by the UK government. However, elsewhere, Octopus has taken several steps behind-the-scenes to shore up its balance sheet.

Finance structuring…

In 2023, OEV set up an ‘orphan company’ called Everdure No.1 Limited – a business registered to an office in Canary Wharf, which has more than 2,000 other active companies also linked to it.

Everdure No.1 was set up to raise debt against OEV’s lease portfolio by selling lease contracts to investors, such as banks, in exchange for loans. By April 2025, OEV had used Everdure to draw down approximately £278 million in this way. £236 million of this money came from Lloyds Bank. According to Companies House, OEV could use Everdure to draw down up to £660 million.

The use of orphan companies is common among businesses trading with assets, as the set-up can shield a parent company from any bankruptcy liability should a subsidiary go insolvent. Readers may recall that last year I wrote about Tesla taking this approach.

In the case of OEV, because they have chosen to retain the economic upside of its vehicles, OEV and its parent Octopus Energy remain tied to any profits or losses relating to Everdure.

Alongside the set-up of Everdure, The Fast Charge understands that several financial firms have been approached by OEV’s team to seek help on creating a fresh model for how the company manages its residual values. It is not known if OEV managed to succeed at this. Although there is evidence that the market has improved. Analysis by Cox Automotive in November 2025 suggested the average EV depreciation sits at 38-42% after three years versus 35-40% for petrol vehicles.

In more recent months, as the company has been exploring a new raise, the company has been recruiting for several senior Capital Market roles, including a lead deal principal, who “will be responsible for helping source, structure, and execute the key funding lines for Octopus Electric Vehicles’ substantial and rapidly growing fleet of electric vehicles.”

Consumer incentives…

On the ground with customers, OEV has also taken steps to prevent bringing losses back onto its balance sheet. This has included offering customers extended lease contracts and re-leasing returned vehicles.

These practices are not unique to OEV, and it is known that several other firms with residual value exposure are doing this. But OEV has gone further to boost its incentives. Namely, Octopus has now brought its own home charger to market, and many of OEV’s listed deals offer it for free. And for existing energy customers who take up a lease, OEV offers 8,000 miles of free home charging through its tariff.

For those without driveways, those leasing through OEV can get 50% off charging with Ubitricity and Connected Kerb. Alternatively, they can claim credit for Octopus’ roaming app, Electroverse. For new cars, you get £800, or £400 for used EVs.

Wider group activity…

OEV is ultimately owned by the Octopus Energy Group. In its latest accounts, the Group announced a pre-tax loss of £254.8 million across its whole operation. Octopus Energy acknowledged in 2025 that it had not yet met Ofgem’s capital adequacy rules, though the company subsequently confirmed it had done so in January 2026.

Soon, it is expected that the group will spin out its proprietary software, Kraken, which is currently valued at £6.4 billion.

The challenges facing OEV and its parent are distinct. But Octopus Energy Group has committed to supporting OEV financially – meaning the group’s own balance sheet is not insulated from its subsidiary’s losses. Or vice versa.

*This article has been updated to reflect that Octopus Energy now meets the Ofgem capital requirements.

Latest EV news…

🚘 EVA England has published a new whitepaper highlighting how the EV transition is at risk of becoming two-tier. It is essential reading, full of new data and solid recommendations. Read ‘Putting the Driver First’ here.

🧐 Yesterday, the Department for Transport published the government’s Cost of Charging Review terms of reference. It’s chaired by Phil New, an executive with a lot of experience in the EV transition. Critically, though, the review will not consider tax changes, so that means we should not expect a recommendation on VAT or eVED. This has displeased campaigners, such as EVA England. It will report in Autumn, around Budget time. See it here.

⚡️ Also yesterday, I was pleased to attend the launch of BYD’s Flash Charging in the UK. These are chargers which can power an EV from 10% to 70% in five minutes, and to full in nine minutes. BYD plans to roll out 300 in the UK this year, and they can avoid grid challenges by relying on huge batteries. Clearly, at the moment, only the soon-to-be-launched Denza Z9GT will be able to benefit from those speeds, though it will end up being other models. Additionally, the chargers will be open to other cars. Read more.

💸 A new report from ChargeUK with LCP Delta has found that EV charging growth will provide the foundation for a £385 billion UK economic contribution, establish 35,700 jobs directly, whilst enabling 334,000 additional jobs across the EV sector. That’s as long as the ZEV mandate remains unchanged. Ministers Keir Mather and Katie White attended the report’s launch, which is hopefully a positive indicator that the upcoming review will be more of a tick-box exercise. Read here.

🔌 Speaking of charge point rollouts, there’s been a flurry of news over the past week. Zapgo has a new site in Newcastle. Hampshire County Council has plans for 17,000 with Believ. And Telford has launched 126 (also with Believ). Elsewhere, all of Aldi’s 1,200 EV chargers are now being run by Drax.

📈 Last week, new industry data revealed EV registrations continue to surge in the UK. According to New AutoMotive, during May EVs reached a 27% market share. Read more.

📝 A new report by the International Energy Agency on EV running costs, which includes a UK comparison to other countries. Apparently, on average EVs are still £9,700 ($13,000) more than ICE here. Find it here. That gap seems a bit bigger than other reports I’ve read.

🤑 In more positive news, data from Zapmap and Autotrader shows that the annual savings from running an EV now stands at £980 on average. Read more.

🇪🇺 SMMT has called on the UK and EU to revisit the implementation of ‘rule of origin’ tariffs due to come in at the start of next year. The warning is that, without carmakers having enough time to update their supply chains, there will be an unnecessary 10% increase in vehicle prices. Read more.

🏭 I’m a bit late to this, but great to see Chery finally jump into the UK through a tie-up with Nissan. They certainly teased us for long enough. It also puts a renewed question mark on the Coventry gigafactory site. Read more. Or see my previous write-up about Coventry’s empty site here.

💷 Slightly odd story about Northern Ireland politicians and civil servants having to reimburse their use of free chargers located at Stormont (Northern Ireland’s Parliament). The initial story focussed on politicians who also received travel expenses. Read more.

💃 Finally, Heaven & Hell, a former Hull nightclub where La Toya Jackson (MJ’s sister) performed on its opening night in 1990, is due to be turned into an EV charging hub. One of La Toya’s top songs was ‘Starting Over’. Read more.

By Tom Riley | Add me on LinkedIn | Drop me an email

Top story in the newsletter this week… Since the introduction of new rules to make using public chargers easier, my analysis finds pre-authorisation fees for paying by card have risen by nearly a third (31%).

Elsewhere… A short review of what Andy Burnham as PM may mean for motorists, DfT covers its back on VAT, and MPs call on ministers to review the ZEV mandate.

As always, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

For info, there will be no edition next week, as I’ll be six Chiantis deep in Tuscany. On my return, I’ll likely be at London Tech Week, MOVE, and London Concours. Please reach out if you want to link up.

Pre-authorisation fees now average £40 per tap

Headline: The amount of money that charge point operators take when a driver uses contactless on their networks has risen on average by £10 since 2023, based on an analysis of nine major UK networks.

As of today… the average amount locked away from drivers whenever they tap their bank card is £40. That’s based on a separate review of 31 individual charging networks operating in Britain. While the amounts taken by charging networks are temporary, they can be held for anywhere from days to multiple weeks.

For a driver relying on public charging once a week… That means at any one time in a normal month, £160 could be sitting in limbo, tied up in pending transactions across multiple sessions before earlier holds have been released.

And that’s just the average… In many instances, the pre-authorisation fees charged by networks are eye-watering. As one example, Lidl, the ‘discount’ supermarket which operates a network of 1,388 chargers for its customers, charges £80 to its contactless users. Across 31 networks, seven of them have pre-authorisation fees either at or above £50.

When I last reported on pre-authorisation fees in 2023… I reviewed nine charging networks and found the average amount being held was £32, and the highest amount in the list was £50. When conducting a review of those same nine this week, the average amount has jumped by £10 to £42 on average. An increase of nearly a third (31%). Furthermore, whereas previously two networks (Gridserve and Ionity) offered a simple £1 reservation, now these are £10 and £40 respectively.

Why the rise? There is a multitude of explanations as to why pre-authorisation fees are so high. Some argue that it has followed the rise in charge point pricing, hence the risk from non-payment has also grown. However, others suggest that it’s a way of nudging people to sign up directly with networks and their apps. For example, to avoid Lidl’s £80 fee, according to its website, simply downloading the ‘Lidl Plus’ app to charge, you only face a £40 pre-authorisation fee, which also gets returned within days, as opposed to “up to 4 weeks” for using contactless.

Sticking with Lidl specifically… I contacted the supermarket yesterday about their fees, as on the website it lists £85 as the pre-authorisation fee. Initally they argued it was £40 for all, whether using contactless or their app. However, since publishing, I’ve been told it is £80 if you pay by card. The website remains inaccurate.

Steering away from the middle aisle now… Pre-authorisation fees make no sense to drivers. According to a submission to the Transport Select Committee by the network Fuuse, 40% of their helpline calls are about pre-authorisation fees. In online forums, there are regular posts by drivers perplexed by them, especially as if there’s a problem with a charger; the fees can quickly multiply. In my early days, I had £130+ frozen for weeks by one operator after the charger failed to work properly.

A few years ago… Drivers of fuel cars were in uproar as ‘pay-at-pump’ pre-authorisation fees jumped from £1 to nearly £120. Much like with EV charging today, this money could take days or weeks to return. However, nowadays, the return for most is closer to instant. In any event, fuel drivers can always pay at the counter. EV owners cannot.

In my opinion… While the Public Charge Point Regulations have done an excellent job in getting networks to offer contactless payments, the Government should now take it further and sort out the mess which is pre-authorisation fees. At present, it feels like the wild west, and I know that EV executives are equally as frustrated – many suggest it’s the banks and card processors that need to make changes.

It needs to happen soon… We are seeing a huge surge in EV registrations as people are increasingly persuaded by the cost benefit. However, while the regulations give drivers the right to pay by contactless, it says nothing about how much could be taken before the charging even starts.

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What if Andy Burnham becomes PM? How will it impact the EV sector?

I’ve been doing some digging, but to be entirely honest, his positions are all over the shop at the moment. He seems to change his views with each passing day. He is clearly desperate to take his populist position nationally. And my instinct is… that’s not good for the EV industry.

At a high level, all Westminster squabbling does is hold up Whitehall and scare investors. And at a micro-level, should Burnham succeed in becoming PM, he has a history of caving to criticism, which worries me.

For example, he pushed strongly for a Clean Air Zone in Manchester before cancelling it after facing a backlash. The reversal reportedly cost taxpayers over £100 million due to the installation of ANPR cameras. The carmaker LEVC (owned by Geely), who make the famous electric black cabs, was furious about this and publicly criticised Burnham. A few months later, lo and behold, Burnham buttered them back up with an £8m pot specifically to help taxi drivers buy their vehicles.

Fair play to LEVC, but where was Burnham’s ‘Kingly’ strength in that situation? It doesn’t fill me with confidence, given how tenacious carmakers can be in this country about the ZEV mandate. Not to mention, in the face of growing calls within Labour for the net zero agenda to be sidelined.

In terms of what a Burnham premiership could mean for drivers of all fuel kinds…

Evidence submitted by Vision Zero Greater Manchester – a road safety strategy endorsed by Burnham – to the Transport Select Committee in March, and published on 20 May, may give us an indication.

In short…

1. 20mph speed limits in built-up areas, which follows “robust leadership” by Wales

2. Reduced speed limits on rural roads

3. Mandatory refresher courses for those over 70

4. Restrictions on new drivers, such as a nighttime curfew, smaller engine sizes, and a minimum 12‑month learning period.

Find it here. Albeit, he’ll probably have u-turned by the time you read it.

Quick EV news…

🐴 Ferrari has launched its first EV called the Luce. It hasn’t gone down well with critics, and its shares have slumped. I quite like it. Read more.

😊 “The electric car takeover is now unstoppable” are seven words I never thought I’d see the Daily Telegraph’s World Economy Editor write. But he has. See here (paywall).

🧐 The Guardian has learnt that DfT supports the equalisation of VAT between home and public charging, pinning the blame on the Treasury for keeping it going. DfT advisors have been briefing this to the industry for a while behind the scenes, so to see it in a national paper is interesting. It either means the Treasury is lining up to change it as part of the charging cost review, so DfT is doing a sort of “I heard of that band first,” so Reeves doesn’t get all the glory. Or it’s the opposite, and DfT’s political advisors are taking steps to protect its ministers from bad press. Intriguing. Read here.

😡 Talking politics, the Business and Trade Select Committee has called on ministers to review the ZEV mandate. See their letter here. In response, Vicky Edmonds, Chief Executive Officer of EVA England, said the letter showed “poor judgement at a crucial point in the EV transition”. Adding: “The UK’s focus should be on how to support mass uptake of EVs, in the face of clearly rising demand.”

👎 An analysis of the impact of eVED by BVRLA and New Automotive has found it will be “structurally unfair for rural, semi-rural, and post-industrial communities” as they are areas with high mileage counts. Read more.

💷 Speaking of the cost of EVs, a new survey by Motability Operations has found the proportion of Britons who believe EVs are cheaper to fuel than petrol or diesel vehicles has risen from a fifth (20%) to a quarter (25%) in the past six months. However, confidence in local councils’ deployment of public chargers remains poor. Read here.

By Tom Riley | Add me on LinkedIn | Drop me an email

Today’s edition is a day later than usual because my laptop was stolen just before the weekend. To reassure you, if you’re a subscriber – free or paid – my laptop was encrypted and secured – it’s also been remotely wiped. If you’re still concerned, drop me a message.

Top story in the newsletter this week… with ‘plug and charge’ adoption growing, my analysis of carmaker roaming networks suggests it may risk landing drivers with much higher bills.

Elsewhere… EV leaders react badly to the fuel duty freeze extension, a Reform-led council has launched a tender for thousands of chargers, and London is set to get a new 36 bay charging hub.

As always, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn. Also, as an early heads up, there will be no edition during the first week of June – hence the bigger edition last week!

Carmakers found adding more than 50% to contactless prices

Summary: The price of public charging through your car could be some 11.5% more than the standard contactless price, based on a Fast Charge analysis of 15 individual charging sites in London.

On average… prices set by major car brands that operate their own roaming networks, including BMW and Hyundai, were found to be around 9p per kWh higher compared to the average standard price (aka, the one offered via contactless or direct payment). My analysis was conducted using the service A Better Route Planner (ABRP) and cross-referenced against operator pricing. Findings in the table below.

In one exceptional case… I found that BMW owners using its free ‘Flex’ card could end up paying 58% more to use a lamppost charger provided by Shell Recharge Ubitricity – the UK’s largest operator. Typically, these chargers cost 55p per kWh for members of the public. However, several carmaker roaming networks charge way above this, including BMW (87p), Hyundai (83p), and Smart (83p).

Elsewhere… I found several carmakers listing fees up to 53p per kWh for using a charger in a Sainsbury’s carpark which, according to Zapmap, is free.

Read more

Big edition today.

Firstly... A story on BP Pulse’s exit from the AC charging market, which has left hundreds of devices stranded, impacting public bodies, emergency services, and schools.

Secondly... A new twist in the collapse of Green.TV last Autumn, which left £650,000 owed to creditors, as correspondence from the liquidator reveals it is taking action against director Ade Thomas.

Lastly... Used EV sales soar, unclaimed pavement channel funding is redistributed, and nine in ten house hunters want EV charging.

As always, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

BP Pulse’s exit from AC charging market leaves hundreds of organisations with dead machines

Summary: Last week, I wrote about how Warwick had warned drivers that 20 of its EV chargers were no longer working. The chargers in question sat on the BP Pulse network. And I have since learned Warwick is not alone in having its devices switched off. In fact, The Fast Charge has calculated that more than 316 publicly accessible chargers across the UK have been ‘decommissioned’ by BP over the past couple of months, including at hospitals and fire stations.

Why pull the plug? BP Pulse wants to focus solely on deploying rapid and ultra-rapid chargers. They’ve made that clear for a while now. However, what is new is perhaps the urgency behind the scenes in its exit from the AC market. And, based on what I’ve seen, it’s done so without giving organisations much time to make changes.

For some context... 1) AC chargers are slow, or under the new definitions ‘standard’ [3-7kW] or ‘standard plus’ [8-49kW]. 2) This news, as I understand it, is different to the current backlash BP Pulse has faced from B2B customers over its equally speedy exit from workplace schemes. The 316 chargers I’m referring to, which BP Pulse has decommissioned, were all previously public. The reason nobody has noticed is that most sites have already been removed from public maps.

So, what’s happened? Back in Autumn 2025, BP Pulse sent an email to all those who had bought a public charge point from them, explaining that they would soon be ending support for their ‘buyer-funded’ scheme. Under that scheme, chargers bought from BP could gain access to BP Pulse’s public network if organisations paid an annual fee. In return for being on the BP Pulse network, owners of the charger would be passed back any revenue the unit generated from drivers.

In its update to customers... BP Pulse recommended several other operators who could take on the chargers. However, customers were not exactly given much time. BP Pulse initially said they’d end support for all chargers not transferred by 31 December 2025 - so about three months before Christmas. I understand this timeline was ultimately extended well into the first two months of this year, as organisations scrambled to make arrangements with new operators.

According to a list published by BP Pulse... Out of 811 chargers, 495 have been “adopted” by a new operator. Alas, a whopping 316 (which is 39% of the total) are yet to get new owners. As such, these chargers are no longer available. Locations impacted include... hospitals, fire stations, schools, and multiple Aldi and Co-op stores. Large companies, such as Premier Inn, are apparently replacing all their BP Pulse chargers. Find the list here.

One industry source told The Fast Charge... BP could face legal challenges due to the short amount of time given by the oil giant for organisations to switch providers. Another source suggested BP Pulse had overestimated how easy the migration would be to new operators, thinking it could be done remotely when, in fact, engineers have been needed.

When approached about its exit from the AC market... BP Pulse pointed to public pages about the switch. I understand their focus is now firmly on building EV charging hubs and installing EV charging at existing forecourts.

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Liquidator takes action against Ade Thomas over Green.TV Media collapse

Summary: The liquidator appointed to investigate the insolvency of Green.TV Media, which left £650,000 in debts owed to taxpayers and suppliers when it collapsed last September, is “taking action against the director” in connection with matters identified during its investigations, according to correspondence seen by The Fast Charge.

For context... Green.TV Media was a well-known EV brand and operated a portfolio of events and campaigns, including World EV Day, Top Women in EV, and the annual EV Summit in Oxford. The director and founder was Ade Thomas, a prominent voice in the UK’s e-mobility sector.

In an email to a creditor last Friday... Arafino Advisory, which is investigating the collapse of the business, of which Thomas was the sole director, wrote:

“I can confirm that our investigations into the affairs of Green TV Media Limited are ongoing. Where appropriate, we are taking action against the director in connection with matters identified during those investigations. However, at this stage, I am unable to provide details of those actions or the underlying issues, as doing so could prejudice potential claims and recovery actions being pursued for the benefit of creditors.”

In response to this update... Ade Thomas told The Fast Charge on Friday that he was “in ongoing conversation with the liquidators to resolve outstanding issues.”

The update comes just weeks after Thomas launched the ‘World EV Forum’ alongside “75 global EV leaders”. The forum’s purpose, according to posts on LinkedIn, is to foster high-level global collaboration aimed at accelerating e-mobility. By being a member, you get access to several platforms previously owned by Green.TV, such as World EV Day, ElectricDrives, and the EV Summit.

After Green.TV entered liquidation, the business’s assets were acquired by Thomas’ new company, ElectricGlobalMedia Limited. There is no suggestion that the asset sale breached insolvency rules. Companies House records show ElectricGlobalMedia Limited was incorporated on 19 September 2025, one day after Thomas signed Green.TV Media’s Statement of Affairs.

The World EV Forum is the second venture launched by Thomas since Green.TV collapsed. The first venture set up by Thomas was a communications agency named better.global, which also advertised the above platforms. Since contacting Thomas ahead of this story, the website for better.global appears to now be offline.

In recent weeks... The Fast Charge has flagged to the liquidator two instances where Thomas’ new websites referenced Companies House and Data Protection registration numbers that linked back to the insolvent Green.TV Media Limited. In both instances, the liquidator has contacted Thomas to remove the references.

In response to this, Ade Thomas told The Fast Charge:

“We are not consciously using Green.TV legal identities. We have been very clear on that. If there are any oversights with links to Green.TV’s Media’s company details or to a shared Data Protection registration number, that will be updated and removed.”

Arafino Advisory has said creditors will be updated in due course, where it is appropriate and permissible to do so.

When I asked Thomas if he wanted to say anything to people who felt let down last year, he did not respond. Instead, he seems to have blocked me on LinkedIn – where we’d exchanged messages about this story – and also, I think, my phone number.

Latest EV news...

🚗 86,943 used EVs changed hands between the start of January and the end of March, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ latest data has found. That’s a huge 32% increase compared to the same period last year. Read more.

👀 And on that note, Autotrader has reported that ‘electric’ was the most popular fuel type for new cars on its platform for the first time ever in April 2026, taking 29% of all new car enquiries. Autotrader, along with other industry partners, have also updated the ‘Facts’ – which is an EV mythbusting campaign endorsed by DfT. Read more.

🧐 Sticking with Autotrader, in a joint survey with Octopus Electroverse, they have found 88% of fuel drivers said they need more information before making the switch to electric. Read more.

⚡️ And now sticking with Electroverse... They have partnered with MFG EV Power to bring ‘Plug and Charge’ to 95% of its locations. This is currently a rare piece of charging tech but it is a crème de la crème approach all CPOs should aspire to, in this reader’s opinion. Read more.

📊 Reform UK gained control of 12 councils during last week’s election – not to mention 1,454 councillors. This will undoubtedly influence net-zero-related work by those authorities, which includes Havering, Suffolk, and Essex. If you missed it last week, check out my write-up on what it could mean for the EV sector.

👋 James Vickery, who has led ZEV mandate policy since 2020 at DfT, has announced he’s moving on to a new role with the BVRLA.

💔 Talking of the ZEV mandate… If the Prime Minister resigns this week and there is a Labour leadership election, should Wes Streeting become PM, I suspect it’ll be likely that the current Business Secretary, Peter Kyle, becomes Chancellor. In that scenario, I would fully expect the ZEV mandate to be quickly upended due to Kyle’s closeness with manufacturers. One to watch.

👑 Keep your eyes peeled shortly for coverage of the King’s Speech. The BBC has a pretty good summary of what is likely to come, which includes permitted development rights for easier deployment of EV charging. Read more. Or the Government has a summary.

💸 DfT cash that went unclaimed by more than a dozen councils to go towards pavement channels has been redistributed. Hat tip to George Watson, who shared the GOV.UK page last week. See it here.

💷 Talking of accessing cheaper charging, HMRC has updated its guidance on VAT. While it acknowledges the First Tier Tribunal decision, the page writes that the policy remains as before. See here.

🏠 Nine in ten house hunters (93%) list energy solutions like solar panels and EV charging as must-haves, according to a new survey by E.ON. Read more.

🔌 According to a new report by Zapmap and the Green Finance Institute, the energy supply across the public network is keeping pace with its surging growth. Read more. This comes after Zapmap has revealed there are now 120,000 chargers in the UK. Read more.

🤖 Lastly... The UK self-driving car company, Wayve, has signed a new memorandum of understanding with the Department for Business and Trade. Details here. I’m increasingly interested in AVs in the UK. I’m considering putting together a free newsletter – would you read it? If yes, add your email here.

By Tom Riley | Add me on LinkedIn | Drop me an email

Main item today... Will tomorrow’s elections mark the start of a slippery slope towards greater disparity in charge point coverage across the UK? I review what happened when Reform took over numerous councils last year, including three recommendations based on conversations with EV council officers.

Elsewhere... 2 million EVs have been registered in the UK, new authority partnerships, and what’s happened to Warwick’s chargers?

As always, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

Will the local election results impact the UK’s transition to EVs?

This week, elections will be held across the UK. Not only are 5,000 seats across 136 local authorities being contested, but there are also elections in Scotland and Wales. For Westminster, the results of these elections will be seen as a temperature test of government policy, and many will draw conclusions about the potential results of the next General Election, due to be held in 2029.

Overall... It’s expected that Labour and the Conservatives will bleed councillors heavily to Reform and the Greens, with the Lib Dems also making small gains. The latest prediction, according to PollCheck, suggests 59 councils could change hands, including Norfolk, Essex, and Sunderland. The big overall winner is expected to be Reform, which could gain some 1,400 councillors. Labour could lose more than 1,000 councillors, especially in London, which has always been a stronghold for it.

But the BBC can tell you all that... Today, I wanted to provide a view on how these results could impact the EV transition. And to share what we can learn from councils that have already had to go through this last year.

In the present day...

Given the sheer thousands of candidates standing for parties in these elections, I hope you forgive me if I’ve not been able to stalk each one for their policy views on EVs. Instead, what I have done is decided to focus on the potential fallout from a Reform surge, given it’s the party most likely to disrupt EV policies – either by taking control of councils, or by influencing the direction of other parties.

But before I do, I want to briefly pull out the Green Party. Led by Zack Polanski, the party has really gained popularity this year, especially in London, where it could take control of several authorities, including Hackney and Lewisham. It may well become the second biggest party in London, Birmingham, and Manchester. Given how important clean air is in cities, and the higher-than-average percentage of homes without driveways, this is clearly significant for the EV transition.

And while you may be thinking, ‘Tom, they will help make UK cities a shining beacon of EV brilliance for others to follow’. I wouldn’t bank more than a tenner on it. While the Green Party is clearly in favour of EVs, even previously saying it would bring the ZEV mandate forward to 2027, the party is ultimately not a natural supporter of cars. The Greens would likely remain committed to EV charging, as it’ll tick lots of their social accessibility boxes, but I suspect they will be prioritising public transport, emission zones, and active travel where they can.

Now, onto the party you may be worried about: Reform UK. Led by Nigel Farage, the party has consistently polled higher than the main parties, with a large amount of their success put down to their tough stances on immigration and taxpayer waste.

If there is one policy that Reform has been consistently clear on, it’s their belief in net zero being “stupid”. Even though many of its members own and love their EVs, including Richard Tice, Reform’s Deputy Leader, their concern is that the switch should not be pushed onto hard-working British people, especially if it’s going to cost them more and be impractical. This position all sits neatly into the right-wing view that net zero is only about pleasing a few confused matcha-drinking tree huggers.

However, despite their public pledges to scrap the ZEV mandate, there are reasons to be hopeful that, locally at least, it may not be disastrous.

What we can learn from last year...

During the local elections in 2025, Reform took control of 10 local authorities, including six county councils: Derbyshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Kent, and Staffordshire. Having analysed what those councils did after Reform took power in 2025, my conclusion is that Reform’s electoral bark is not the same as its administrative bite.

Across all six county councils, I found that EV plans have progressed. For example, in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire – both part of the East Midlands – they’ve accepted money to deploy pavement EV charging, and have also been moving forward with their Local EV Infrastructure projects. The same can be said for Lancashire, which has plans for 6,665 charge points by 2030, and in Lincolnshire, where the authority has been engaged in pilots with Weena.

Further south, Kent County Council can’t get enough of electrification. The area recently partnered with Urban Fox to install 10,000 chargers – an enormous amount. This was celebrated in a local Reform Facebook group.

And it’s not just chargers. Peter Osborne, the Reform councillor who looks after highways at Kent County Council, has also been filmed unveiling all-electric buses in Dover.

But it has not been entirely smooth. At Staffordshire County Council, the pace slowed up a lot…

Read more

The main story in today’s edition is a look at the status of the West Midlands Gigafactory, which is about to start construction after its detailed site plans were approved this month. However, there is still no confirmed occupant. So, I also take a look at three companies that may be interested in taking it on.

Elsewhere... The large chargepoint installer, ChargedEV, appears to be quietly winding down. In better news, public charging is now cheaper than using petrol.

As always, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

West Midlands prepares to power up gigafactory site. But who will take it on?

Summary: Coventry Airport will permanently close on 11 June 2026, nearly four years after the site was granted permission to build a gigafactory on the aerodrome in 2022. After it’s vacated, the site owners have confirmed construction is set to begin on installing a mega substation capable of powering the future site.

Fresh approvals: This news comes as the site, known officially as ‘Green Power Park’, received permission for its detailed plans for the gigafactory. This includes seven manufacturing facilities ranging from 69,000 square feet to an impressive 1.5 million square feet. The decision was announced in mid-April after the site got approval from Warwick District Council. It also means we now have a much better map of how the gigafactory, which is just a stone’s throw away from the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre, will be laid out. Buildings include a recycling centre, an R&D park, and a logistics hub. (Image further down)

This is the first major news about the West Midlands gigafactory in years.... And it got me wondering, what happens next?

As it stands, there is no business signed up to occupy the site. However, that may be about to change. It’s understood that by getting these recent permissions and moving forward with the power supply, that may be enough for the gigafactory, which is a joint venture between Coventry City Council and the large investor Rigby Group, to finally land someone. I understand that NDAs are in place with interested parties who, historically, had said they’d prefer an out-of-the-box arrangement, rather than simply a nod and a wink approach.

There’s also legal pressure on the horizon. From 1 January 2027, new ‘rules of origin’ will come into force across the UK and EU. For car manufacturers selling into Europe, it will mean tougher rules around sourcing materials for EVs and their battery packs. Otherwise, businesses will face tariffs starting from 10%. Given that industry analysis suggests it can take around 12 to 24 months (or much longer) for a battery factory to deliver output, there is hope that it won’t be long until the West Midlands secures an occupant.

But who would it be? Based on my research, I believe there could be three businesses in the frame. And, you guessed it, they are all Chinese.

👉 Before we dive into each business and why they are on my radar, I’d like to remind you that I am but a humble commentator. And ultimately, the rest of what I write here could turn out to be utter balls. Anyway...

1. Chery

There’s long been talk and hints that the Chinese carmaker, Chery, would take on the West Midlands Gigafactory. Chery’s UK head, Victor Zhang, has put on a sort of burlesque show for British stakeholders in recent years, dropping numerous hints but never actually delivering. In 2024, he told the BBC it was “only a matter of time”, and in 2025, I myself witnessed him tell the audience of an SMMT conference that, when it came to a UK factory, “Everything is on the table. We are considering, we are talking with the relevant parties.”

The reason people have their hopes pinned on Chery is because of its ‘localisation’ strategy, which is: In Somewhere, For Somewhere, Be Somewhere. I’m told that this sentence is really core to how Chery thinks. And given that Omoda and Jaecoo are doing stonkingly well in the UK, there’s a lot of reason to believe they’ll deliver on that.

At the Beijing Automotive Show this week, Chery announced grand plans to serve 10 million customers outside China by 2030. At the conference, Farrell Hsu, Country Director of Chery UK, said: “Our exceptional momentum in the UK reflects the strong appetite for high-quality, practical and accessible vehicles. In 2027, we’ll continue to introduce models which respond directly to how families live and travel today. We are confident in our ability to continue building meaningful and sustained growth in this market.”

I understand that soon Chery will announce that it’ll build an R&D centre in the UK. And this is different from the centre they are already committed to in Liverpool, which is for commercial vehicles. This would be passenger-focused, but the timing is unknown, as is the location.

Could it be West Midlands? We know from the approved site plans (above) that it will have an R&D centre right across the road from UKBIC. And in the time it takes to get the rest of the larger buildings up and going, one could easily put on Talking Heads and declare ‘This Must Be The Place’.

However… Riley here is a bit sceptical. My understanding is that Chery has never visited UKBIC. And that seems odd to me. Kind of like buying a house without viewing it. Likewise, from the many people I’ve spoken to connected with the site, I got the sense that Chery may have (or had) an interest, but perhaps it needs to firm up its thinking.

2. NIO

Last year, I boldly wrote about my belief that NIO may be in the frame to take over the Coventry site, as part of its other tie-ups with Forseven, which ultimately merged with McLaren Automotive in April 2025. All these brands are owned and backed by the Abu Dhabi-based CYVN Holdings.

At the time of my report in 2025, there was a lot of evidence pointing to some sort of UK-China deal, based on written responses I was receiving from the UK government through FOI requests. And then the fact that the Business & Trade department said on the record: “While we cannot speculate on commercial investment decisions, we are supportive of NIO’s existing UK operations and would positively view any new investment in the UK.”

Not much has happened since the merger of Forseven and McLaren. However, we know NIO is planning to bring its ‘Firefly’ – a challenger to the Renault 5 – to the UK sometime this year. And we know that NIO will be supplying its battery platform to whatever ‘luxury’ vehicle McLaren ends up making with Forseven.

Likewise, the latest accounts of NIO UK, signed off in October 2025, suggested that the company was in sleep mode, writing: “Management’s ongoing operational expenses are brought to a minimum which will enable management to patiently explore the optimal moment for the market entrance in the future.”

This could just relate to the car launch. But maybe it’s something more? Only a month ago, NIO was hiring for an ‘Advanced Chassis Expert’ who could “push boundaries and develop new and advanced Chassis technologies and Chassis Systems that will allow the creation of new and exciting engineering solutions for our future vehicles.”

I think it remains a contender...

3. CATL

It’s not got a very sexy name - Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited – but ‘CATL’ is the world’s largest battery manufacturer. It supplies batteries to all the major carmakers, including Tesla, BMW, Ford, Volvo, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Kia, Honda, and Toyota. And in China, it also supplies brands like NIO, Geely, SAIC, and XPeng.

If any company could take on a the gigafactory in Coventry and make a success of it, my money would be on CATL. And there’s some evidence to suggest that might be a possibility.

In May 2025, the Chinese company registered in the UK, according to Companies House. Its office is linked to Vistra, a firm that helps businesses set up operations, hire staff, and manage tax and accounting during international expansion.

In the UK company, there are three registered directors. One is John H. Kwon, General Counsel of Global Legal & Strategy at CATL. According to his LinkedIn, he looks like a big fish, and it suggests he is the ‘Chairman of the Board’ in the UK. Which also implies there’s potentially more structure to this UK entity than might be publicly known?

The other directors are Aleksej Kruekov, a Senior Manager for Service and Aftersales across CATL’s EMEA business. And also Lan Xinghui, who I understand is a Senior Energy Storage Manager.

On the surface, the reason for this company being registered may be very explainable. CATL already supplies batteries in the UK, and is known to be involved in a lot of battery storage developments. In 2024, they signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce, and in January this year, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer was visiting China, the investment business Schroders signed a memorandum with CATL. Both agreements focused on battery storage projects. It would also align with the company’s registered SIC codes (above).

Furthermore, CATL already has several active operations in mainland Europe. Given the terms of the UK-EU agreement, perhaps it does not need to be here. That’s the view that BYD took when considering where to be based, and ultimately decided the mainland was better.

And yet... I noticed that seven months ago, the UK was the ‘country of honour’ at the 25th China International Fair for Investment & Trade. At the conference, James Turner, formerly Head of Strategic Marketing Projects at the West Midlands Growth Company, spoke at the event to promote EV and battery opportunities in the UK. The event was located in Fujian province, which is also where CATL is headquartered.

Maybe CATL’s full UK story is yet to come…

What happens now...

All we can do is wait and see. I understand there are conversations and businesses interested. The fact that the site is now closer to ‘oven-ready’ will surely help.

Obviously, the UK has had mixed success getting gigafactories going. Agratas in Somerset, owned by Tata, needed a huge amount of incentives to start. Likewise, the AESC plant in Sunderland, which supports the Nissan plant, has received huge amounts of funding from the government.

As I was preparing this story, I wondered what would happen if no one could be persuaded to take on the West Midlands site; would it go the way of Britishvolt and end up as a data centre, for example? My understanding is that’s simply not an option, as the site only has permission for battery manufacturing. So, fingers crossed!

Latest EV news...

⚡️ In good news, ChargeUK analysis, using RAC Fuel Watch and Zapmap figures, revealed last week that the cost of charging an EV on the public networks is now lower on average than petrol or diesel for the first time in over a year. This is great, but as we know, it could be cheaper still! Read more. In other ChargeUK news, congratulations to Dora Clarke from Osprey, who has been appointed the body’s Communications Chair.

☹️ In less good news... According to a post on LinkedIn, the chargepoint installer, ChargedEV, is quietly winding down. Dozens of staff now wear the ‘Opentowork’ banner. Based in the Midlands, according to its latest accounts, the company reported a loss of more than £3.8m in the year up to April 2025. In those accounts, the company blamed pricing pressure from competitors that focussed on volumes over margins. In 2025, the average number of employees at the company was 98. The ultimate owner of ChargedEV is Zigup Plc, which trades on the FTSE 250.

👉 The 49 Collective, a campaign to promote women driving change, is running a Spring campaign to celebrate individuals across the energy and clean transport sectors who are actively creating opportunities, championing inclusion, and building environments where women can thrive. Nominations can be made here – you have until 7 May.

🚽 Funny story uncovered by AutoExpress. Apparently, a Chinese EV company has patented an in-car toilet. Read more.

💷 West Cumbria has received £3.4m as part of the LEVI fund to install hundreds of chargers. Read more.

🙅‍♂️ Readers may recall my recent story about the North Yorkshire Council abandoning its planned rollout of chargers. Following that, one of the council chiefs briefed local news outlets that my report was incorrect. Two points. Firstly, in the correspondence I saw from the council, they used the word ‘abandon’ three times. Secondly, the council made no effort to correct my use of it when I approached them for a comment. Maybe they got a ticking off from OZEV?

🗳️ Finally, speaking of councils, next Thursday, it’s the local elections. Many will see this as a temperature check on Starmer’s Government and an indication of what a general election may bring. The consensus is that Labour and the Conservatives will bleed heavily to the Lib Dems, Greens, and Reform. I’ll write a digest beforehand on how this situation may affect the EV sector. In advance, if you have any thoughts, do ping them my way.

By Tom Riley | Add me on LinkedIn | Drop me an email

Top story in today’s edition... I have reviewed 38 operators of rapid chargers to determine how many complied with the Government’s mandated 99% reliability rules during 2025. This research factors in a list obtained from the Department for Transport, highlighting which operators supplied reports to the Secretary of State.

Elsewhere... EV sales are surging, and new data finds they’re now cheaper than their petrol counterparts. Lovely stuff!

As always, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

Analysis: Only 4 in 10 networks meet 99% uptime rules

Headline: Fewer than half of the UK’s charging networks are compliant with laws that came into force from November 2024, mandating transparency around the reliability of rapid charge points as well as a 99% uptime target.

Summary: According to an analysis of 38 operators of rapid chargers by The Fast Charge Newsletter, there are only 16 networks fully compliant with the legal requirements. To save you the mental maths, that means of those 38, there were 22 that did not meet the requirements.

Under the rules, an operator is compliant with the regulations when they:

1. Maintain 99% uptime across all its chargers with speeds at or above 50kW

2. List on its website its compliance with the reliability requirement, and

3. Submit annual reports to the Secretary of State for Transport and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).

Failure to meet the rules can land a charging network with a £10,000 fine.

For context... Before conducting this analysis, I obtained a list of all the networks that had submitted reports to the Transport Secretary after the first tranche of reliability reports were due in for the year 2025. That deadline was 14 January 2026. After a bit of back and forth with the Department for Transport, I eventually got the list.

However... Before sharing the list with me, a DfT official told me that the OPSS still needed to have discussions with operators to verify the submitted information to assess whether each network met the required standard. Officials also explained, “The Government does not intend to publish information on compliance with the reliability requirement, as the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 make it mandatory for operators to publish this information themselves.” So, the list I obtained only showed which networks had successfully submitted a report (aka, point 3 above).

Given this rather laid-back position... I decided to undertake my own research. To do this, I first when through the list I obtained, removing duplicates as well as new networks or those with tiny deployments - for example, Connected Kerb, which only has six rapid chargers. I then also included in my research several networks that I know operate rapid chargers, though they were not on the list supplied by DfT, suggesting they failed to report.

To determine whether they were compliant… I spent a ‘thrilling’ day going through my list and checking each operator’s website to see if they listed their compliance with the reliability rules. And all my findings are included in the table below, but here’s my headline analysis…

The good... We should begin on a positive note, and that is the finding that 16 networks in the UK are meeting the high standard set by the UK government. Those 16 alone include some of the country’s biggest rapid charging networks, including InstaVolt, MFG, Gridserve, and Osprey – collectively they represent more than a third of all rapid chargers. Also, though they were a few percentage points short of 99%, making them non-compliant, it was good to see that BP Pulse, Shell Recharge, and Believ all shared their figures on their website.

Read more

Top story in today’s edition... North Yorkshire Council, the largest UK authority by geography, has abandoned its £8 million government-backed plan to roll out EV chargers in a blow to the region. The news applies further pressure on a government review of pricing at public chargers. Full story below.

Elsewhere... Lots of hub openings, Tata gets more millions from the public, and the most pretentious car advert I’ve seen to date. Also, the Department for Transport has not just done one good thing since last week, but two!

Finally, it was super to join Liz Allan on her Electric Evolution Podcast this week. We discussed a lot, including the realities of the EV industry and my experience reporting on it. Take a listen here.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn. I always enjoy hearing from people.

Scoop: North Yorkshire Council abandons its EV charging rollout

A plan to install thousands of EV chargers across North Yorkshire’s green and pleasant land had been in the works since 2023. The plan, which was backed with £8.1m from the Department for Transport, was set to be one of the country’s largest public charging contracts under the government’s local EV infrastructure fund.

But... North Yorkshire Council surprised industry leaders this month by “abandoning” its EV charging rollout due to “significant changes in the EV market” and “wider economic conditions,” according to correspondence from North Yorkshire Council and seen by The Fast Charge Newsletter.

Big project: It’s believed by one industry source that North Yorkshire Council expected 3,000 charge points to be installed across the region and that the rollout was due to be delivered by Connected Kerb. North Yorkshire Council confirmed that Connected Kerb was the awarded operator; however, the authority made clear its decision to halt its programme had nothing to do with their ability to deliver.

So, why cancel? Within its formal notice of procurement abandonment, North Yorkshire Council cited several factors that caused it to revisit its plans, which were put in motion in November 2024, including:

• Significant market changes... The council wrote that the EV charging market had undergone fundamental change, noting that there had been shifting ownership among operators, which, as a result, had caused substantial amendments to contract terms. The authority noted the “EV charging sector has shifted at pace, and the market picture today is materially different to when the procurement commenced. A revised approach is required to ensure alignment with current supplier models and market realities.”

• Economic conditions... The council wrote that global volatility in energy tariffs had introduced further risk, making the continuation of its procurement economically unviable for the council. This was reinforced further by the council, which blamed “notable increases in standing charges, including instances where these are uncapped.” The authority wrote that this trend had significantly affected its EV programme’s viability.

• Strategic misalignment... Lastly, the council suggested that its current approach would no longer meet its objectives, claiming that proceeding without addressing the gaps in its approach would risk “failing to deliver the strategic, commercial, and operational outcomes required.”

North Yorkshire Council confirmed the news but declined to provide an on-record comment. However, the authority did tell me that there were benefits in altering their approach, and that by revisiting the procurement strategy, the authority could reflect the current market and secure the best long-term solution for North Yorkshire. The council is now undertaking a review of its position. This review will look at its commercial model, contract structure, and its overall strategic delivery approach for EV charging.

DfT, who run the LEVI scheme, said it would not be appropriate for them to comment on the decision by North Yorkshire Council. However, I’m told officials were aware of the council’s decision and expect it to re-tender, though the timing is unknown.

Anyway… Where does this leave Connected Kerb?

North Yorkshire was an important contract for the network. So much so that it was highlighted in the investment note used by the Government’s National Wealth Fund to back the company with £55m last year. An investment which, for many in the EV sector, remains controversial given the operator was loss-making at the time.

The Fast Charge obtained the investment note used by the National Wealth Fund in 2025. Dubbed ‘Project Wayside’, the document was heavily redacted. However, a map was included under the sub-header ‘deal information’, highlighting regions of the UK expected to receive significant deployment by Connected Kerb. One of these was North Yorkshire. This suggests the contract formed part of the wider national rollout used to underpin the taxpayer-backed investment.

When asked about the impact of the abandoned contract… Connected Kerb did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the National Wealth Fund defended its investment in the operator, saying:

“Improving access to electric vehicle charging is an important sector for the National Wealth Fund as reflected in our new strategy.

“Our investment in Connected Kerb has been based on its nationwide pipeline to rollout on-street charging points across a multitude of locations, not on any one area.

“Our investment decisions are guided by a comprehensive view of the market and a commitment to supporting government policy objectives. As with all of our deals, this investment was subject to a thorough and robust due diligence process.”

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Latest EV news...

☹️ Two weeks ago, I wrote that EO Charging was on the verge of entering administration, and last Thursday, a statement by PwC confirmed that it had indeed happened. As a result, 69 employees have been made redundant. PwC will now look to sell its assets. Thoughts with those who have lost their roles.

💷 Agratas, the company building a gigafactory in Somerset to supply batteries to JLR, has in the past week received a £380m cheque from the government. The Business Secretary, Peter Kyle, said the money would “help ensure advanced manufacturing remains a thriving sector in the UK for decades to come.” It’s good news. Read more. However, is anyone else not a little curious about the vast sums that Tata-related companies seem to get from UK taxpayers? The government provided a £500m subsidy to their steel business in 2024. And last year, when JLR (owned by Tata) fell apart because of cybersecurity weaknesses, the govt guaranteed a loan worth £1.5 billion. And that’s not to mention when the Prime Minister got involved in sorting out JLR’s tariff situation with President Trump and announced flexibilities to the ZEV mandate from JLR’s factory. I know we like a Range Rover in this country, and want to keep jobs here, but where does it end?

👍 Last week saw some good news for charge points in the UK, as the Department for Transport announced changes that should streamline admin and lower costs for installations in England, as it moves to a permit system for street works. Read more.

🔋 Also in DfT news, officials have launched a consultation that may bring about a standardised battery health check, which will provide greater confidence for the used EV market. Thomas McLennan, from the BVRLA, said, “This consultation moves that reality forward and has the potential to put clear, comparable, and easily accessible battery health information in the hands of drivers and fleet operators. That clarity is critical in giving used EV buyers the confidence they need to make the market stable and sustainable.” Find the consultation here. It closed on 25 May.

👉 Interesting comment piece in The Times’ Money section further supporting the fact that rising oil prices are causing more families to consider the cost savings from going electric. Read more (paywall). It will be interesting to see if the current shift outweighs people’s concerns about eVED.

🙅‍♂️ East Devon District Council has rejected plans for 30 EV chargers near a business park due to concerns that, should an EV catch fire, water used to put the car out could end up in the local water supply. This would present a health risk. An interesting case, and this wasn’t the only reason for rejection. Read more.

🔌 In better news, Thurrock in Essex is due to get 4,046 new chargers over the next 15 years as part of a deal with Zest. The deployment will consist of a combination of lampposts and rapid chargers. Read more.

🤨 Talking of Zest, there was an interesting comment by the operator’s CEO, Robin Heap, on LBC, writing about the charging industry not having a Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code it naturally falls under. It’s interesting as these codes are used by authorities to monitor and research industries. So, if all the networks are using different codes, policymakers may not have a true picture. Surprised nobody has realised this until now. Read more.

🎳 Raw Charging is continuing its surge of openings, this week launching a rapid EV charging hub with 32 bays at the Cardigan Fields leisure complex in Leeds. Read more.

🕺 Talking of hubs, E.ON Drive has unveiled four 300kW chargers in York. They’re located near George Hudson Street, making it a perfect spot to plug in and spend your waiting time dancing on the revolving floor at Popworld. Read more.

⚡️ On rapid charging, BYD has confirmed plans to roll out 300 of its 1,500kW ‘Flash’ chargers in the UK over the next 12 months. And it sounds like the sites will be open for all, which is a problem, because most EVs can’t charge up that fast. Autocar reports that BYD is still figuring out how to manage it, and this may include penalising people who block them up. Read more.

📈 Elsewhere, it’s all happening in Hertfordshire. Firstly, the county council has appointed Believ to deliver up to 4,000 chargers as part of a £38m deal. Meanwhile, East Herts Council has signed up Otaski Energy Solutions to install 193 slower chargers. Read more.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 A bit more remote than the home counties... up in the Western Isles of Scotland, an insightful report on local councillors discussing plans for EV charging, noting that a hub may be planned for Islay. Good news for any EV drivers considering a whisky tour. Read more.

🚗 Coming to the salesroom in 2027, an electric version of the Nissan Juke. Unlike some previous iterations of the Juke, the EV version looks quite good. Read more.

😅 Finally, what on Earth is happening at Rolls-Royce? They have just unveiled their coach-built two-seat EV convertible called the Nightingale.

Ignoring the rather ‘out there’ baby blue they’ve applied to the car, who the hell buys a convertible from Rolls-Royce? Unless you are a Middle Eastern Sultan, I am not sure who RR is trying to cater to. Its promo video is such a mess, to the point of hilarity. Images of a young woman peering out from a beach into a sunset, then the car. Then images of a ballerina. Then a man throws some paper. Then back to the beach woman, oh wait, show the car again. It is literally Fry and Laurie’s mock perfume advert come to life. See it here.

By Tom Riley | Add me on LinkedIn | Drop me an email

Top story in today’s edition... I’ve obtained emails that show how officials at the Department for Transport guided Tesla on how to keep its lobbying efforts hidden from public view.

Elsewhere... A huge month for EV registrations, new cheaper tariffs, but both carmakers and networks hold clenched fists over the mandate review.

Also… I’m trying to get going posting videos on TikTok again. My first back highlights the most desperate attempt I’ve seen by someone to use their home supply on a busy street in Belgravia. Watch here. If you have any content ideas, especially in London, please slide into my DMs.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn. Likewise, if you are not already a paying subscriber, please do consider supporting me. For the best price, always get in touch!

🚨 Revealed: The emails showing how officials helped Tesla keep its lobbying secret

Summary: The Department for Transport guided Tesla on which legal arguments to use so that the US carmaker’s lobbying, which included asking for ‘preferential tax for EVs’, could be withheld from public disclosure, emails obtained by The Fast Charge reveal.

Context... In 2025, the UK Government kicked off the year with a consultation about making changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. This consultation included asking carmakers about what incentives or changes could boost the uptake of electric cars. That consultation concluded in April 2025, with the Prime Minister announcing a host of new flexibilities to support carmakers. Later in the year, a new Electric Car Grant was launched, followed by more funding for charge points.

Further to efforts by this newsletter... by Summer 2025, the submissions by major manufacturers, such as JLR, BMW, Volkswagen, and Toyota, were released by DfT. However, the submissions belonging to Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and Tesla were not. I challenged this in Autumn last year and, after several months, these other submissions were released.

BUT... Tesla’s submission contained around five pages of entirely redacted pages. This included Tesla’s policy suggestions on which incentives DfT should employ to boost EV demand, which were entirely blacked out. This means, while we know what every other carmaker asked for, we know very little about what Tesla lobbied officials for.

Until today... As I have since obtained the email exchanges between DfT officials and Tesla discussing the disclosure of their consultation response. And I was pretty shocked by it. Not by Tesla’s objections, but by how DfT seemed to have gone about the whole thing.

For example... After Tesla initially objected to releasing their entire response, an unnamed DfT official appears to have simply accepted the company’s argument without any pushback. In a two-sentence email in July 2025, they confirmed that Tesla’s response would not be released.

However... Following my request that DfT review its decision in Autumn, they entirely reversed their position. DfT instead put a long explanation to Tesla as to why the exemption they first used under the Environmental Information Regulations was incorrect.

And that’s not the only revelation... In the same email to Tesla, DfT set out how the US carmaker could use an alternative legal exemption under transparency laws to keep its contentious areas redacted. The DfT official explained in detail the four-part evidential test that Tesla would need to satisfy so DfT could hold them back. The department then gave Tesla five days to submit a fresh argument.

Read more

Top story in today’s edition... I understand that EO Charging, once valued at around half a billion and which counts Amazon as a client, is preparing to sell its remaining business following mounting losses.

Elsewhere... DfT publishes a helpful page about the changes to chargepoint data, lots of new deployments, but fears around rising plug costs linger.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

Update: On Thursday 9 April 2026, EO Charging, registered as Juuce Limited, entered administration as it failed to find a buyer. Most staff have been laid off as a result.

EO Charging set for sale as losses mount

Headline: EO Charging, the British-founded EV charge point firm whose clients include Amazon, Tesco, and DHL, is preparing to sell its remaining business amid mounting losses and could enter administration, The Fast Charge understands.

Background: EO has been around for a long time. It was founded in 2014 by Charlie Jardine at his grandparents’ farm inside a former pig shed. As a first mover in the EV sector, the company quickly outgrew the pigsty and grew to dominate the charge point market for fleets and homeowners, especially after the announcement of a ZEV mandate in the UK.

Well backed... As a result of its early leading position, EO received millions in funding, including from Zouk Capital, which manages HM Treasury’s Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund. That fund consists of up to £200m of taxpayer cash mixed with private investor capital. In 2018, Zouk provided £13m to EO. And in 2023, after EO walked away from a £488m ($675m) deal to list on the Nasdaq, Zouk joined other backers with a £66m equity investment.

Since then, however, the company has struggled. In the face of political uncertainty around the globe and at home, and operating in an increasingly competitive market, the growth EO expected has not followed. According to its latest accounts, EO Charging (registered as JUUCE Limited) lost nearly £24m in 2024. The company’s liabilities exceeded its assets by more than £21m at year-end, underlining the severity of its financial position.

During 2025... EO underwent a total restructuring, which included exiting the US market and selling its domestic EV charger hardware and manufacturing business. The company said it had received £25m from existing backers in November last year, including Zouk and Vortex Energy (a Middle Eastern investor), alongside an increased debt facility with HSBC.

However... Despite EO saying the investment provided “a strong foundation for the company’s next phase of growth” and that investors are demonstrating “continued confidence,”... Only weeks later, in its accounts signed in December 2025, Deloitte, EO Charging’s auditor, provided a very different and bleaker appraisal of its position.

Deloitte stated that... “a material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on the group’s and the company’s ability to continue as a going concern”, noting that its recent funding is contingent on the company meeting performance targets. Deloitte also issued a qualified opinion on the accounts, which indicates the auditor was unable to obtain sufficient evidence in certain areas. In short, the auditor was unable to satisfy itself on certain aspects, reducing confidence in the figures presented.

In recent months, the situation seems to have gotten worse... I understand that EO is preparing to sell its remaining business, with a sale process expected to take place during April. Given that the group has already sold most of its hard assets, the process will likely focus on its software platform and client relationships. If a transaction is not secured, the company could enter administration.

Response... EO Charging was contacted several times for a comment, and as of the time of publishing, I have not received a response. I even took it upon myself to visit their registered office in Paddington on Monday. They were not listed on the board behind the reception desk, though a secretary said they were based on the ground floor, but that nobody was in.

Zouk Capital and HM Treasury were also approached for comment.

Latest EV news...

👉 George Watson, a former local authority officer, has launched EVinfrastructure.co.uk as an independent information hub on everything EV charging in the UK. It explains which authorities are participating in schemes, such as the pavement channel fund or LEVI, and their status. I find it very helpful, and I know George is underway with making dedicated authority pages. Check it out here.

📊 Talking of EV charging, the Department for Transport published an FAQs last week covering the recent changes to how charge points are counted. It included the news that DfT is planning to release new stats covering public charging on the strategic road network and at motorway service areas, summary statistics for the number of EVs per public EV charger, and public EV charger utilisation statistics. See the page here.

📈 Speaking of rapid charging, a couple of stories this week suggest prices for charging networks have soared, in one case by up to 38,000%. As such, ChargeUK is calling for standing charges to be reviewed urgently, as otherwise the cost will be passed onto drivers. There already is a cost of charging review ongoing in the Treasury, though perhaps, if the Sunday Times is to be believed, the ZEV mandate review may happen early, maybe the cost review should conclude sooner too.

💷 And the price story continues. In Bristol yesterday, the local council approved an EV strategy that acknowledged the city requires 600 more chargers installed by 2027, compared to the 200 in place today. See here. One of the likely ways the authority will meet that will be by installing lamppost charging. However, one Bristol councillor – whose surname is amusingly ‘Kent’ – has expressed concern at their cost being ten times more than those charging at home. Read more.

🔌 Further North, Manchester has launched a pilot of 38 lamppost chargers with AMEY. If there’s good utilisation, the scheme will expand. Read more.

🏝️ We might as well go for three lamppost stories in a row... The Isle of Wight has appointed Char.gy as its chosen network to deliver up to 1,500 devices across the island for residents. Read more.

👍 Seems it’s the week for new initiatives. Transport for Wales has revealed a new tool, named ChargePoint Navigator, which is designed to reduce costs and support EV infrastructure planning across its 22 local authorities. Read more.

🏠 Reading has launched a pavement channel trial for residents with Kerbo Charge. Read more.

🛍️ Raw Charging has opened a new rapid hub at Chesterfield’s retail park. This is part of its large deal with Landsec. Read more.

⚡️ Talking of speed, Gridserve has launched a new hub near Folkestone. Read more.

🔋 With petrol on the cusp of running out, Octopus Electric Vehicles has reported a 36% rise in enquiries. Read more. Meanwhile, an analysis in The Guardian suggests that if more EVs had vehicle-to-grid capacity, more people could be using their car like a home battery, helping us from future oil shocks. Read more.

🕵️ Was James Bond a sleeper agent? Daniel Craig has popped up promoting a new electric supercar developed by the Chinese carmaker Denza. The concept coupe is called the ‘Z’ but its actual name will be revealed at Goodwood this summer. Read more.

🚀 Talking of cars and violence, a report this week suggested VW may be shifting one of its factories in Osnabrueck from making cars to making missile systems (“Jast lyke za olden days, ja!”). The FT highlighted how this demonstrates that European carmakers, in the face of more competition and targets, may be moving to totally new businesses altogether. Read more (paywall).

By Tom Riley | Add me on LinkedIn | Drop me an email

Top story in today’s edition... Is bp pulse lining up to go shopping? I take a look, as industry sources suggest Gridserve may be the target.

Elsewhere... European carmakers throttle back, DfT announces new EV funding for fleets, and LOTS of new charge point deployments.

Also this morning… the BBC ran an important segment on EV charging cable theft. I was pleased to be part of it, and great to see Osprey featured too. I’ve uploaded a video of the segment here.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

Targets acquired? Oil giant bp lines itself up to invest in UK charging

Summary: The UK boss of bp pulse, the charging network run by the British oil giant, was appointed last week to a bp subsidiary set up to coordinate and invest in its EV charging and wider mobility businesses globally. It comes as bp revealed in its latest annual report this month that the UK is a priority market for EV charging investment.

Bp pulse’s UK manager is Valerio Ferro. He has been at the helm of bp’s charging business in Britain since September 2024, however, it was only last week that he became a director of the UK arm’s significant owner, named BP Advanced Mobility. The latter was set up to manage and invest into EV charging. This change, taken together with bp’s most recent annual report filing, suggests that bp pulse may be on the verge of splashing the cash...

When asked... A spokesperson for the oil giant played down Valerio’s appointment, saying it came as long-serving BP executive Martin Thomsen was stepping back. However, on the possibility of an acquisition, the spokesperson said they wouldn’t comment on market rumour or speculation.

Perhaps it’s a coincidence... However, these corporate moves arrive at a time when many industry insiders believe Gridserve, the motorway-focussed ultra-rapid charging network, may be preparing to get bought out. There are several reasons given as to why this is...

Read more

Top stories in today’s paid edition... I recap last week’s SMMT Electrified event, their call for an urgent ZEV mandate review, and whether they’ve softened their stance on EV charging following an ‘amnesty’ with charging networks.

Elsewhere... As ChargeUK turns four, it loses several networks… lots of great local council initiatives have been launched… and three Waymos snapped using InstaVolt chargers.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

You’re joking - not another one! My analysis of SMMT’s call for a ZEV mandate review…

Background: Last Thursday, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) hosted its conference focussed on electrification. Before this year, the event was always run biannually, though this is the first time they’ve been run in successive years. One would imagine this is a positive recognition of the industry’s shift to go electric. However, sadly, the day was anything but that.

During the morning... SMMT released a new analysis suggesting the cost of going electric for carmakers and consumers was now so out of kilter with the initial projections that it was time for an urgent ZEV mandate review. In their wording, ‘market reality bites’.

Obviously... This was always going to happen. It was unlikely going to be the case that Mike Hawes, CEO of SMMT, would step on a stage and go “Guys! Tremendous news, 1 in 4 electric cars being registered are now electric. Can you believe it! Hats off to everyone – what a feat, take Sunday off!” No, of course not, we all know carmakers want an early review of the ZEV mandate. They tried to get it called early before Christmas, via the Minister for Industry, who was visiting Nissan in Sunderland. That ended with a strong rebuttal from Downing Street.

By the time SMMT’s pre-conference press briefing arrived, I gave way to the spirit of Brenda from Bristol and I asked Mike directly: “Will there ever be a year when you do not ask for a ZEV mandate review? It feels like the UK’s automotive industry is at risk of being seen as the boy that cried wolf. Where does it end?”... I don’t know Mike well enough to know whether his returning stare was one of genuine intrigue or more like... ‘who invited this prat’. His response pointed back to their published analysis.

The day continued to be frustrating... During the morning talks, the call for an urgent ZEV mandate carried on, with VW, Ford, Volvo, Stellantis, JLR, and Toyota all jumping in on the action. It felt like being in Groundhog Day. The audience's mood felt damp.

On a better note... Some attendees who had the opportunity to speak did do their best to present a positive case for EVs, and that included the EV Minister, Keir Mather.

Read more

In today’s edition... New polling reveals more support for the ZEV mandate than those against. But as long as it’s affordable.

Elsewhere... Vicky Read stands down from ChargeUK, BYD’s flash chargers, and a reminder that the eVED consultation closes soon!

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

📊 New poll finds nearly half of Brits back EV targets

Headline: Nearly half of British people (48%) say the government should keep its EV targets if cars become more affordable, according to YouGov polling commissioned by WA Communications and being reported exclusively in The Fast Charge today.

By comparison... Only three in ten believe the targets should be moved, while one in four did not know.

These results are positive for the EV sector. Presently, it is a deeply assumed belief that most of the public does not support EVs at large, and that the recent cooling of demand reflects wider consumer worries about the shift. Only this month, a separate survey found 55% would not go electric because of worries over the government introducing electric Vehicle Excise Duty, which could cost EV drivers hundreds of pounds annually from 2028.

However... This new polling signals there is public support, though only if EVs are affordable. In the poll, 36% of respondents said their backing for EV targets was contingent on them being affordable, whereas 12% supported the targets unconditionally.

Later this week... The Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders will host its Electrified conference, and it’s highly anticipated that the carmaker lobby group will ask for more flexibility on the EV targets, claiming EV sales are only happening because of manufacturer discounting. It is also expected that SMMT may continue to call for a mandate on EV charge point installations, which would have to be met by EV charging networks.

Interestingly... In the new polling, when asked who was most responsible for making sure the UK has enough reliable EV chargers, only 2% said charging operators. In fact, 4% pointed to carmakers themselves. In the main, though, a quarter (26%) of Brits believe the responsibility lies with the UK government. This is quite a surprise, as most actual public charging deployment sits with local councils, through schemes such as LEVI, yet only 7% of the public saw councils as having the most responsibility.

Worryingly for Whitehall... Given how many see them as responsible, when the public was asked about which sources they trusted most for information on EVs, only 12% mentioned the government or public bodies. This is concerning given the large communications campaign currently being led by the Department for Transport. In February, DfT told The Fast Charge that its campaign is multi-channel, but it would be interesting to know where exactly their messages are appearing.

In contrast... Independent consumer organisations, such as Which? and Citizens' Advice, scored 47% trust in the new survey. Carmakers also achieved a higher percentage (17%) than the government, albeit largely boosted by a very high degree of trust amongst 18- to 24-year-olds (27%). At the opposite end, only 5% of respondents said they trusted energy and charging companies. It was the same for news media (5%), and even less for social media influencers (3%). That’s a big piece of insight for comms teams within the EV sector.

When the response was broken down by political party voting... The poll results were how you might expect, though with some interesting nuances. For example, 55% of respondents who have previously voted for Reform were supportive of changing the EV targets. But a chunky 22% of Reform voters would support the targets if EVs were affordable. That’s a large amount, and it really underlines how important cost is to this transition.

My final outtake from the polling was... Shock. Shock at the perception the public has around domestic versus public charging prices. According to WA Comms’ poll, 38% believe public and home charging should cost the same. And an additional 11% believe public charging should be cheaper than at home. Translating this to plain English... that’s almost half of those surveyed (49%) holding a view at odds with the reality of how EV charging is operated. It should certainly be food for thought for the industry and the government, who are currently reviewing public charge point pricing.

You can find the YouGov results here. Thank you to WA Communications for commissioning this research and providing it to The Fast Charge. I was pleased to discuss them with others at a panel event yesterday alongside Perran Moon MP, Claire Miller, and Sir Philip Rutnam.

Latest EV news...

⚡️ ChargeUK (1): It was International Women’s Day on Sunday, and in quite a surprise, a few days beforehand, Vicky Read, CEO of ChargeUK and one of the UK EV industry’s most senior women, announced she was stepping down. Several industry sources have speculated as to why she has left. Some argued she was pushed by bolshy members unhappy with the trade bodies’ progress, while others have simply suggested she’s delivered a great stint. My understanding is likely closer to the latter with Vicky. In a LinkedIn post, Vicky remarked she wanted to pass the baton to someone with a “fresh pair of legs” and mentioned that she’d spent four years involved with the group.

⚡️ ChargeUK (2): As Vicky steps down, she will leave behind an industry group that has no women on its board and a largely male day-to-day team. Although, the association has told me there are women on its All Member Council. Moving forward, I understand the relatively new Chair, Iain Coucher, is expected to play a bigger leadership role at ChargeUK. Several industry sources have shared concerns with me about the gender imbalance at the top of the public charging industry. Alas, in better news, perhaps you are the person to help change that – and lead ChargeUK as CEO after Vicky steps down. The job spec is here. It comes with a £130-150k salary with benefits. Tasty.

✍️ In a similar note, during Global Women in EV Day, one of the outcomes was the establishment of The 49 Collective. The group was set up to get organisations together around a shared commitment to improving visibility, opportunity, and leadership for women across the EV industry. The group is currently looking for organisations to sign up to its Charter – this is something I will be doing, and I do encourage readers to take a look here. Ps. If you’re wondering ‘why 49?’, it’s because 49% of driving licence holders in the UK are women.

🛢️ As readers may recall, I recently had an awful house move, and it seems I missed the start of the Iran war. You can get views on that elsewhere, but my observation is that any activity in oil states often results in greater interest in EVs. That’s what happened during the last energy/oil spike. It comes as new research from the network Char.gy suggests £20 of electricity will take you further than £20 of petrol. Read more.

🔋 Talking of charging, last week BYD unveiled a demo of its ‘flash charging’ forecourt, which can deliver speeds up to 1,500kW. Read more. It’s gathered a lot of press, but the question I have is: do we need it? Many EVs currently on the road could never take on such speeds. Likewise, what sort of grid would that require, and at what cost? It’s great to see headlines that ‘you can charge a car as fast as filling up’, though it’s like hearing a Bugatti can go 304mph. It’s amazing. Though, will many of us ever be in one going that quickly... unlikely! The Guardian has an interesting editorial about BYD’s chargers here.

🔌 Speaking of Chinese charging... The Register reports that Chinese home charger maker ELECQ, which sells devices in the UK, was hacked. Read more.

💷 Elsewhere in EV charging... Islington Council has secured £1m to install 840 new chargers using LEVI money. Read more. Meanwhile, outside the M25 in Shropshire, the local council has secured £2m from the government to install 550 devices. Read more. [Note to self... is the above still EV chargers or EV equipment? Are miles now kilometres? Is it pounds or sovereigns? Is the Earth flat?]

👍 The House of Commons Library has put together a really helpful tool to track EV uptake by local authorities. See here.

🧰 The Lib Dems in Scotland have urged the Scottish Government to support EV drivers in Orkney who will no longer be covered by Tesco Insurance, due to a lack of local repair capacity. Read more.

🫢A study by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) has found that only 51% could correctly answer two or fewer out of 10 statements about EVs. This underlines the lack of knowledge amongst drivers at large. Read more.

🚗 As a reminder, tomorrow I will be at SMMT Electrified during the morning. I’m expecting to hear about the ‘Made in Europe’ rules that UK carmakers are worried about, such as Nissan, which said it could put its factory at risk. Anyway, drop me a note if you haven't already done so, if you want to meet up. I have to leave in the afternoon.

☹️ In other carmaker news, VW has said it intends to cut 50,000 roles due to scaling back its EV ambitions. Read more (paywall).

👉 Finally, if you have not already, you have a week until the eVED consultation closes. Find it here. If of interest, copied below is my recent take about the introduction of eVED (taken from the aforementioned WA Comms report).

See you next week!

By Tom Riley | Add me on LinkedIn | Drop me an email

Let me begin with an apology. Firstly, this edition is a day late. Secondly, by my own admission, it’s a bit rough and ready.

This week, my partner and I have endured quite a nightmare. It started by getting keys to our new home, only to find it hadn’t been cleaned since its previous owners left. And further not helped by an awful experience with Audi West London – an absolute tower of laziness and engineered incompetence.

Anyway... Back to this week. What I really wanted to mention today is Zapmap, as I believe they could be on the cusp of being recapitalised and set on a path to international growth.

Elsewhere... Some quick EV news, including... the VAT tribunal decision getting everyone excited, new EV registration figures, and the true impact of Reeve’s pay-per-mile tax.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

Analysis: Is Zapmap preparing to go global?

Context... Last week, Zapmap, the official provider of EV charging data to the Department for Transport, revealed that it was changing the way it measured charge points. Whereas previously Zapmap (and DfT) counted one device as one charger, under the new changes, Zapmap (and DfT) will now count the number of charge point connections available on each device.

This means... in one fell swoop, the UK has gone from having 88,513 chargers to 116,726. This is because some rapid chargers can often be used by two EVs at once.

Why? Zapmap’s co-founder and COO, Melanie Shufflebotham, explained on LinkedIn that, “the ways to track charging has improved dramatically, especially with the widespread use of OCPI. Moving to EV chargers (EVSE), whilst not perfect, is a better way to track the number of EVs that can be charged simultaneously and also brings the UK in line with international reporting.” See here.

According to Melanie’s post... It was DfT who led in making the change. And who could blame the government for wanting to make the figures look a lot higher at a time when press reports keep suggesting EV demand is cooling.

Alongside changing the way they count chargers, Zapmap and DfT will also no longer separate speeds between ‘slow’ and ‘fast’; instead, they’ll become ‘standard’ and ‘standard plus’. Again, if you were the government, why would you want to promote that you have a lot of ‘slow’ infrastructure?

However... the timing of the change raised my eyebrows. That’s because, almost a year ago, close observers may recall a rather rogue press release from Octopus Electroverse – a Zapmap competitor – which boasted that the UK had reached past 100,000 chargers. It led to several questions over what the true number was following several press reports.

At the time, Zapmap publicly tried to douse the story. Melaine herself shared a post where she responded to the claim, explaining, “while the charging network continues to grow at a good rate, it has unsurprisingly not grown by 30% in a month!” Furthermore, her LinkedIn post added:

“In the UK, the charge device number has been used as the headline figure to track the growth of the charging infrastructure over the past 10 years and it is this figure that is used for official reporting by the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom. The 100k charge point figure that has been quoted in the press is based on EVSE number, rather than the charge device number.”

You can see my previous coverage of the debate in this post here.

On the back of that disagreement between Octopus and Zapmap, I later learned that DfT and Zapmap were already in discussions to review the statistics. As anyone who has seen Yes, Minister will appreciate, changing government reporting takes time. Which is perhaps why it has taken nearly a year for DfT and Zapmap to adopt this change, whereas Octopus Energy has continued to cite a different definition.

However... Compared to the tone and position of last year, it does feel like Zapmap has totally reversed its position. As Melanie said last year, we have used the previous definition for 10 years. And while the number is bigger on the surface, I understand many in the sector are worried about the change being confusing for drivers. Likewise, how it will impact CPOs with their investment cases (positively or negatively), or even compliance with Public Charge Point Regulations.

For example... Vicky Edmonds, CEO of EVA England, has commented that “one of the biggest issues still raised by drivers is that, where you have multiple cars running off the same device, they charge at speeds much slower than advertised”. Likewise, Gary Comerford, Host of the EV Musing Podcast, made the point on LinkedIn that some devices advertise two connections (aka, two chargers under the new count); however, in reality, this can mean one connection is for CCS ports and another is Chademo. The latter was acknowledged by Zapmap as something they were aware of.

🧐 So, why has Zapmap decided to make this change?

Could it simply be the case that they were just following orders from DfT? Or that they were wary of Octopus being ahead of the curve? Or is it more likely that Zapmap is preparing itself to operate more internationally?

If their accounts are anything to go by, it’s probably the latter. Published on Companies House two weeks ago, Zapmap reveals that it is in the advanced stages of a deal that would put the loss-making business into a “cash generative position” and provide it with new working capital. Key quote below from the accounts:

“The directors of the company are currently in advanced stages of negotiations to convert its existing preference shares, accrued dividends, convertible loan notes and accrued interest into ordinary shares, which will significantly reduce the debt burden and associated finance costs of the business. As part of these negotiations the Directors are also expecting to enter a facility to increase the working capital available in the company to fund it through to a cash generative position. While the negotiations are at an advanced stage, at the date of approval of the financial statements they are not completed and as such these facilities are not committed.” [Page 4, Zapmap accounts published 19 Feb 2026]

For background... Zapmap is 49.9% owned by Good Energy, which was acquired by Esyasoft, an Abu Dhabi-based energy business backed by the UAE’s ruling family in 2025.

At the time of their purchase of Good Energy, Esyasoft briefed that it wanted to support “Zapmap and in the longer term consider the best ways of driving the latter to profitability and its potential for international expansion”. After the acquisition, they provided Zapmap with £1.8m, which was mentioned in the recent accounts, though it is still clearly loss-making. So, presumably, the current negotiations described in the accounts are part of recapitalising the company and getting it ready to be able to grow across the globe without fear of going under.

This is my hypothesis... though I wonder if this will see Zapmap evolve from primarily being seen as a driver app, to becoming a fully fledged data platform for Good Energy – an area which arguably Zapmap has been moving into for some time. It would certainly help explain the changes in their descriptions and the suggestion of becoming ‘cash generative’.

I guess we’ll likely see what happens soon…

Quick EV news...

📊 Data released this week by New AutoMotive shows EV registrations made up one in four newly registered cars in February. Read more. According to SMMT, however, this is the second month in a row where EV registrations have shrunk. Read more.

🫢 Why could that be? Well, a survey of around 12,000 motorists conducted by Electrifying.com and the AA, sheds some light on the cooling demand. Apparently, 55% said mileage-based charging would deter them from going electric. Read more.

👨‍⚖️ In the last week, there’s been much excitement that the UK’s First-tier Tribunal has ruled that public EV charging can qualify for the 5% reduced VAT rate, rather than 20%, under existing “de minimis” rules. This follows a challenge made by Charge My Street. Last I checked, the actual decision is yet to be published by the tribunal, so a lot of what we know is just from LinkedIn posts. I contacted HMRC for a response to see if they would appeal the decision, which seems extremely likely given the tax revenue at risk. A HMRC spokesperson said the department was “carefully considering the decision and our next steps.” Read more.

FYI: Next week is SMMT’s Electrified event. I’ll be there, so do reach out if you fancy a coffee.

By Tom Riley | Add me on LinkedIn | Drop me an email

Today’s top stories... I have obtained the market assessment National Highways conducted before paying £84,000 extra for 14 Tesla Model Y’s. And the Department for Transport tries to breathe new life into its grant scheme.

Elsewhere... A new battery health report and lots of new charge point options for people from Leeds to Dorset.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

National Highways claimed no other suitable EVs were available. It wasn’t true.

Background: At the start of this month, I revealed how National Highways, the public body responsible for the UK’s motorways and A roads, paid an £84,000 premium to buy 14 Tesla Model Ys which weren’t listed on the Government’s official approved list of suppliers.

At the time of that story... National Highways stressed to me that their only option was to go with Tesla. A source at the time told The Fast Charge a market assessment established that no equivalent electric vehicle meeting our specification for traffic officer vehicles was available via CCS framework at the time of procurement.

However... I have now obtained the market assessment via an FOI request. And it seems this was not true.

In fact... At the time National Highways decided to spend a whopping £760,125 on buying 14 Tesla’s at near retail price for its Traffic Officer fleet, the agency had already identified and started piloting three EV alternatives which met the same specification as the Model Y. Furthermore, these three other models were on the official Crown Commercial Service framework – meaning they would likely have delivered best value for taxpayers.

According to the obtained assessment... National Highways requires its Traffic Officer EVs to tow 2,000kg, have 600 litres of boot space, and have a range of more than 250 miles. On the official framework, the Kia EV9, Hyundai IONIQ 9, and Volvo EX90 were all identified as meeting this specification in the market assessment for the year 2025/26 (aka, the one we’re in at the moment). Other carmakers on the CCS list, including Ford, Stellantis, and Skoda, were noted as not having suitable EVs for its requirements.

Pilot cars were ordered from Kia, Hyundai, and Volvo. However, rather than waiting for pilots to complete, National Highways chose to continue expanding its operational fleet with Tesla, buying them via an intermediary at near retail price.

According to the assessment... In the year 2024/25, National Highways had only the choice of Tesla on the official framework. The notes on the document read, “Pilot requested with view to purchase.”

In the previous FOI response I received from National Highways, the body shed light on how many Tesla vehicles it purchased in the year 2024/25...

“Of the 24 vehicles procured [from Tesla] during the 2024/25 tax year 23 were new. The 24th vehicle was a long term demonstration vehicle supplied by Tesla it was placed into service as new although technically it was second hand at the point the order was placed.”

That’s a pretty large initial order... But when I asked the agency why they started with such a big pilot, an NH source disagreed, suggesting the agency purchased one Tesla Model Y to pilot before purchasing the 24 operational vehicles. Does that mean they had 25 Tesla vehicles, not 24?

Very confusing... Anyway, for comparison, I asked National Highways how many EVs it bought to pilot from the other eligible carmakers. I was told they got 4 Kias, 4 Hyundais, and 1 Volvo from the official supply list this year. As a reminder, this was at the same time they also placed an order for the 14 Tesla Model Y’s. Those other vehicles are currently going through a 12-month operational pilot programme.

In response? When I asked why National Highways continued to buy from Tesla despite there being three other officially approved EV alternatives, a spokesperson declined to comment. I also asked if NH conducted a financial comparison when making these decisions. Again, no comment.

People may think this is a small hill to die on... But I really hate taxpayer waste. People in this country are currently busting their guts to bring home the bacon. Tax is eye-wateringly high, Freddos cost 45p, and running a business is a headache. And yet... a public body feels fine to splurge £84,000 it didn’t need to. Why is that ok?

If National Highways feels it’s being forced by the government to make its fleet electric, it surely needs to be flagging this high cost to us taxpayers.

Today’s newsletter edition is free… But the next two weeks won’t be… And I think you’ll want to read them 🤐.

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DfT gives CPR to flatlining grant scheme

Good news: This morning, the Department for Transport announced that the charge point grant available to flat owners and landlords will be extended by a year. And the grant amounts are changing too. From April this year, people living in rented accommodation, flat owners, residential landlords, households with on-street parking, and businesses will all be able to receive higher grants of up to £500 per installed charger, rising from the previous discount of £350.

However, the amount schools can claim per charger is reducing to £2,000 per charger, compared to the previous level of £2,500. It’s good news, though I think DfT should be cautious about claiming it’s being ‘boosted’. Seems more likely to be moving existing funding around. Read more.

And how is the charge point grant scheme doing anyway? In its original format, it was available to all households and helped get hundreds of thousands of home chargers installed. Back in April 2022, the scheme was changed to focus on those without driveways to access affordable charging. But, as of the latest statistical update up to the end of October 2025 (here), only 18,222 flat owners or renters have taken advantage of the scheme since it launched nearly four years ago! In that time, it’s estimated that 1.4 million new EVs have been registered in the UK.

Even more worryingly... Residential landlords have only installed 1,505 chargers using the grant in that time. That is woefully low and quite worrying, given renters are often entirely reliant on a landlord to make changes or adaptations to where they live.

Over the years of writing this publication, I have heard numerous stories from residents who attempt to install chargers at rented properties, though get declined by their landlord. I find it quite rich, therefore, that the Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association is quoted in DfT’s press release claiming, “Almost 9 in 10 landlords with a suitable property would install EV charge points if a tenant asks them to undertake this work.” Seriously? The official figures throw a lot of doubt on that.

In the past 12 months... There has been a big uplift in flat owners and renters securing grants, with more than 9,600 securing sockets. But, the scheme has only ever reached past 1,000 chargers installed in one month since 2022 – and that was in November 2024. I feel it will take a lot more than simply cash-based CPR to get this scheme used. Time will tell if the government’s EV campaign helps.

The big change I believe will help... the impending arrival of new rights for renters, which is introduced from 1 May this year. I suspect that will supercharge claims being accepted, as the landlord-tenant relationship is reshaped. Landlords will have to meet much higher standards, and renters will eventually be able to dispute decisions with a new ombudsman service. Maybe that’s why the scheme has been extended?

Latest EV news...

🔋 Generational, the battery health checkers, last week published the UK’s largest analysis of EV battery conditions conducted to date, based on over 8,000 battery health assessments conducted in 2025 across BEVs and PHEVs. The analysis revealed that the average battery health was 95.15% across all vehicles tested. Even nine-year-old EVs were found to boast around 85% of battery capacity. Great to see these facts. Learn more.

👉 You may recall me writing that Leeds Council wanted to be a leading net zero city. And it seems it wasn’t just political bluster. They’ve just announced a trial for cross-pavement charging with Kerbo Charge. Read more.

👍 Elsewhere, Wandsworth Council has announced that soon residents will be able to apply for a cable channel grant. Read more.

💷 The charge point company Pod last week revealed ‘Pod Rewards’. The new programme automatically charges EVs at optimal times and rewards drivers with cash, building on over £330k already earned by Pod customers in trials. That’s some real cheddar. See here. It comes as Pod’s CEO, Melanie Lane, shared a warning to City AM about the delicate consumer confidence when it comes to EVs and their costs, especially with new taxes on the horizon.

🚘 Volvo has built a new battery pack which may allow it to bring back its famous estate car in EV format. Read more.

🇮🇹 Mamma mia, Lambo has u-turned on its fully electric supercar, instead shifting to making hybrids. Read more.

✍️ The Cardiff-based EV charging network PLUG Charging has acquired the UK and Ireland charge points belonging to Wattif. Read more.

⚡️ Transport for London has awarded Total Energies a contract to install 43 rapid chargers across the capital. Read more.

🐙 Another tentacle? Octopus has launched a new ‘fleet’ focussed business that will bring together its Electroverse product and fleet payment solutions. Read more.

🚜 Zapgo has installed two 200kW chargers covering four bays at a farm shop in Somerset. Ooh argh. Read more.

🔌 Dorset Council is set to receive 3,000 on-street charging points thanks to a new partnership with Connected Kerb. Read more.

By Tom Riley | Add me on LinkedIn | Drop me an email

Top story in today’s edition... Not getting an electric feeling? New analysis of DfT’s social media ads suggests the government’s pro EV campaign is failing to cut through to women, with those aged under 65 only making up 1 in 10 of those reached by Facebook and Instagram promotions.

Elsewhere… Regional analysis on EV interest, the cost of pay-per-mile tax, and a new project to explore EVs being used to back up homes in an emergency.

Finally, as today is my 31^st birthday, I am offering a special 30-day free trial (click) to mark my previous years on Earth. You can cancel at any time, of course, though paid subscriptions do make it much easier for me to pay off Amex’s hitman.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

New analysis: Govt EV campaign fails to reach working people

Summary: In late January, after years of pleas by the EV industry, the Department for Transport launched a campaign aimed at building positive awareness for EVs across the UK. With the tagline ‘get that electric feeling’, the marketing effort is aimed at boosting EV adoption, with cost savings from switching being central to the messaging.

However... Analysis I’ve conducted of DfT’s social media adverts, currently running across Instagram and Facebook, suggests the campaign may not be reaching a huge chunk of potential buyers, especially women.

Using Meta’s public advertising library... I reviewed more than 15 ad campaigns promoting the ‘electric feeling’ campaign on DfT’s page. At the time of my review on Monday, the top three performing campaigns were all promoting a video of a bearded man standing in front of a deli in Kensal Rise (North London) talking about the range and cheap cost of getting an EV. Combined, the video had reached almost 1.2 million people.

When broken down by age... I found that people under the age of 45 made up under 9% of those total viewers.

More worrying... When broken down by gender, it seems the adverts are wholly missing working women. Only 1 in 10 (12%) of all unique viewers of the promoted clip under the age of 65 were found to be female. When it came to women under 45, that gulf expanded to one in 60 people (or just 1.6%).

Young women are barely seeing the promoted video. For every 260 people reached by these three top performing promotions, only one of them was a woman aged between 25 and 34. In short, they made up less than 0.4% of the total viewers.

Read more

Top story in today’s edition... Mer, the charging network with 1,300 chargers, is to be acquired by Be.EV, the network backed by Octopus Energy.

This comes as Trojan Energy and SureCharge got snapped up by Connected Kerb and Shell-Ubitricity, respectively, earlier this week.

Elsewhere… A successful launch for Global Women in EV day, new car registrations, plus the most reliable and most unreliable used EVs.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

Mer Charging to be acquired by Be.EV

Context: Since 2023 – and maybe even before that – I have had charging network executives in my ear suggesting ‘consolidation is imminent’. And much like those lunatics carrying signs branded “THE END IS NIGH!” ... it’s never really materialised. Of course, some of the uber teeny tiny names have gone. But we’re talking here about well-known names. At some point, I’m quite confident every major network has been suggested to me as being on the brink.

And yet... Dozens of networks have continued to plod on. However, perhaps in 2026, market consolidation isn’t nigh, but here. Tuesday alone saw two acquisitions.

Consolidation number one... The lamppost network SureCharge, established by the construction business FM Conway, was swallowed up by Shell-Ubitricity. The deal will make Shell-Ubitricity the largest UK network by some mileage. They’ll have 14,000 chargers across 30 authorities. Read more.

Consolidation number two... Trojan Energy, the Scottish-based EV charging network which brought innovative ‘plug-into-the-pavement’ charging to several London Boroughs, has now been acquired by Connected Kerb – one of the UK’s largest networks, and one backed by the National Wealth Fund about a year ago. This happened after Trojan was reported as struggling, particularly after the Department for Transport ruled out their product from the £25 million EV Pavement Fund – despite the DfT having included Trojan’s device within a ‘solution document’ before the fund’s announcement. Read more.

Interesting to note... None of these announcements came with figures attached. That’s not a guarantee in news about mergers or acquisitions, however, given we know that most charge point operators are struggling to deliver returns on investment and make any kind of profits, I think it's safe to predict we won’t see the former owners of SureCharge or Trojan on a private jet out to Saint Tropez.

These two may only be the start... The CEO of Be.EV, which is backed by Octopus Energy, made this point very clear last week in comments made to The Guardian, suggesting numerous networks were running out of money and were desperate to be bought. Be.EV’s CEO, Asif Ghafoor, commented that they would be undertaking their own acquisitions and are looking to triple their network size from 900 chargers, as it currently stands.

And today... I can reveal Be.EV is acquiring Mer.

Let’s dive 🤿 …

Who are Mer? Mer has been active for many years in the UK. They were one of the earliest networks on the scene, securing sites all over. As of December 2025, Mer operated more than 1,300 devices, according to Zapmap. The business itself is owned by the Norwegian renewable energy firm, Statkraft. Likewise, according to Companies House, Mer’s UK holding company also lists Norway’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries as a significant shareholder.

According to multiple sources... I understand that Statkraft has been looking to exit the public charging market for a while.

Details are quite light... However, the fact that Mer’s UK annual accounts are now more than a month late has fuelled speculation about the company's future. In the last published accounts, which went up to December 2023, Mer Charging had identified liquidity as a principal risk. In the accounts, it said Mer’s parent company had a “present intention to provide financial support for at least one year after the date that these financial statements are signed for.” They were signed in September 2024, so quite a while back now.

Outside the financials... There’s been talk of Mer staff being on the hunt for new jobs, and that the company has been kept in a zombie state. Aka, being less active in competitions for new sites, and slow to fix broken charge points.

Based on my own search using Zapmap... I identified several sites that appeared ‘out of service’ with previous comments suggesting cables had been cut and not replaced for many months. This chimes with my conversations with eight operators for my recent cable theft story (see here). Mer was consistently referenced as a network that had been hit very badly by organised criminals. When I approached Mer to be involved in that piece, they did not respond.

And so we come to today’s news… After many years of operating, Mer is to be bought by Be.EV. This will turn the Manchester HQ’d charging network into a big player, propelling their current 900 chargers to at least 2,200.

Mer and Statkraft have declined to comment. Be.EV has just put something up on their website.

Latest EV news...

🚀 Yesterday was Global Women in EV Day. I sadly couldn’t be there, but it looks like the launch event was fantastic. My LinkedIn is wall-to-wall about it. This video sums up all the pledges made by the EV sector, including mine. Follow the page here. Also at the event, the 49 Collective was launched. The group will celebrate, elevate, and connect women driving the transition to electric mobility, across industry, policy, infrastructure, and innovation, in the UK and beyond. Check out the website here.

✍️ EVA England is calling on drivers across the UK to share their views on the Government’s proposed ‘pay-per-mile’ scheme. Their survey is part of informing a much wider review of public charging, which was promised in the Budget. See the survey here (and submit!).

🤔 Who was it that said the ‘truth is based on what you read’? Or is that one I can claim? In any case, I like to read both sides. And when it comes to the latest car registrations in the UK, here are the facts as I see them. Firstly, January is not a good month to judge car registrations. Secondly, lobby groups have agendas. Thirdly, BEV registrations dipped to just short of 21% of total registrations last month, which is slightly less than January last year. But, lastly, PHEVs are up by nearly 4% compared to last year to some 13%. So, overall, cars with a plug made up one in three registrations. Read New AutoMotive’s take. Or read SMMT’s. Or why not both!

👉 Talking of New AutoMotive, the think tank has also released new data suggesting most carmakers are actually overachieving against the ZEV Mandate. See the chart here. Naturally, some of those carmakers would probably argue this is achieved through discounting.

⚡️ A lot of people I speak to in the EV sector are very worried about Reform. And I’m sure it comes up around a lot of water coolers, especially as Labour seems quite shaky. I’m not an apologist for them; however, I was quite surprised to see Kent County Council, which is led by Reform, has just announced 10,000 EV chargers for the area through a partnership with Urban Fox, using £12 million from DfT. Read more.

🌻 Raw Charging has installed 16 EV chargers at the RHS Hyde Hall near Chelmsford. Isn’t that lovely, Petunia? Read more.

🔌 In a not-quite-so-natural location, Ionity has opened a new ultra-rapid charging hub with twelve 400kW devices in a former derelict car park in Birmingham. Read more.

🚗 Good news for the people of Harrow. Thanks to the borough’s partnership with Char.gy, by October 2028, the area will have 500 new chargers within lampposts. Read more.

📍 Have you seen the Fuel Finder website yet? It comes after the government has established an API to make it easier to search for petrol pricing. However, it also covers EV chargers. Find it here.

💷 Talking of making it easier to recharge, if your workplace hasn’t yet but could benefit from EV charging, be aware that the Government’s funding scheme is due to close at the end of March. So get an application in soon. Read more.

🛠️ According to a new analysis of 1,000 vehicle repairs over 2025, the Nissan Leaf is assumed to be the most reliable used EV. And the top reason for a claim across all EVs was anti-roll bar link failures. Read the full list here.

😳 Speaking of repairs, new DVLA data has suggested that five of the top 10 car models for not passing an MOT are electric. One model that really didn’t do EVs any favours was the Mercedes EQC. Apparently, out of 4,179 EQCs that were registered in 2022 and underwent their initial MOT in 2025, some 717 didn’t pass. That’s a failure rate of 17.2%. Read here.

🚚 Eight in 10 organisations with large fleets say that policy fluctuations are undermining their ability to map long-term EV strategies. This is according to a survey of more than 300 senior fleet leaders across the UK and the US, conducted by EO Charging. Read here.

⛔️ Finally, as talk of Autonomous Vehicles in the UK continues to heat up... A US Professor has suggested that if you hold up a sign with a command in front of an AV, as they run on large language models to read signs, you can theoretically change what the vehicle does. I am absolutely going to carry with me a rolled-up ‘STOP’ sign to deploy on nights out. Read more.

By Tom Riley | Add me on LinkedIn | Drop me an email

Top story in today’s edition... I can reveal that National Highways paid an £84,000 premium to a ‘middleman’ so it could keep buying Tesla Model Ys for its fleet – after it learned the US carmaker ceased to be an official government supplier.

Elsewhere… It’s Global Women in EV Day next Tuesday, will China build cars in Blighty, and 75% of councils feel hampered on EV charging by their budgets.

Finally, before we get into it. A friendly heads up to all charging networks... Many of the Public Charge Point Regulations are now in force, and I’ve been a bit surprised that so many networks haven’t yet met all their legal requirements (after several years of prep time). I’m not covering today, but I will be on w/c 16 February.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

🚨 Revealed: National Highways paid an £84k premium to keep buying Teslas for its fleet

Summary: National Highways, the public body responsible for the UK’s motorways and A roads, paid an £84,000 premium to buy 14 Tesla Model Ys through an intermediary, as the US carmaker was no longer on any official government procurement frameworks.

Details... Figures obtained by The Fast Charge, via a Freedom of Information request, have revealed that the government-owned agency paid approximately £6,000 more per vehicle after Tesla ceased to be a government-approved supplier. Rather than switching to a brand on the vetted list, National Highways used a third-party conversion specialist to source the cars, resulting in a 12.5% price hike for the taxpayer.

👉 National Highways has not disputed these figures. They have also confirmed the use of a third party to procure Tesla cars for its traffic officer fleet.

Let’s dive in at the beginning...

Background... Over Christmas, probably like many of you, I spent a lot of time on the motorway. And, on a journey back to London, as the horizontal sunshine finally dipped behind a tree, I was able to make out a Tesla Model Y in National Highways colours. It was a traffic officer vehicle, and it was the first I’d seen.

When I got back to London, I decided to do some digging online. What I found is that, like many large public fleets, such as police forces, National Highways had been testing EVs for several years. And it seemed apparent that National Highways was really taken in by the Tesla Model Y. I have found several videos of National Highways at events showcasing a demonstrator Tesla, fitted with orange lights and telematics equipment. See here, here, and here.

In the year 2024/25... National Highways went on to procure 24 Model Ys directly from Tesla, which were then listed with the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) – which is the government’s official shop, designed to ensure public bodies buy from vetted suppliers at competitive prices. The total cost for these 24 vehicles, including their conversion to the National Highways specification, came to a total cost of £1,159,798. That works out at an average of £48,324 per car.

However... In April 2025, Tesla decided public procurement wasn’t a priority for them, so they removed themselves as a supplier. Before that point, it’s believed Tesla had been on the CCS framework since 2022, alongside numerous other carmakers, including Audi, Ford, Hyundai, KIA, Nissan, Skoda, VW, and Volvo.

This left National Highways in a sticky situation. They had already conducted a 12-month trial using the Model Y. They had bought 24 for their new electric fleet. And with them now exiting the CCS Framework, that would mean going back to the drawing board and finding another carmaker that was approved.

Well, that didn’t happen. Determined to keep growing its fleet of Model Ys, National Highways took a different approach. As they couldn’t get the cars directly from Tesla, they instead turned to their vehicle conversion supplier, Halls Electrical, to buy vehicles from Tesla on their behalf. Effectively using them as a middleman.

In National Highways’ own words ...

“During the 2024/25 tax year National Highways purchased 24 vehicles direct through Tesla. A further 14 vehicles were purchased during the 2025/26 tax year. As Tesla is no longer recognised on any procurement frameworks the vehicles were purchased through Halls Electrical.” — From FOI (Pictured below)

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Halls Electrical is a listed vendor on the CCS framework. They are registered on the list for converters of ‘Bespoke and Specialist Vehicles’. While procuring vehicles this way is permitted under framework rules, as Halls Electrical has no formal arrangement with Tesla, and is understood to simply be a customer who takes delivery of cars, it’s likely they were bought closer to or at retail prices. This would explain why these 14 vehicles, including their conversion, cost National Highways £761,000. Aka... £54,366 per car compared to the previous £48,324.

In short... National Highways paid an extra £84,000 to get a car from a company that has chosen to sit outside the official government framework.

This is serious. Public procurement in the UK is governed by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, the Procurement Act 2023, and Treasury guidance under Managing Public Money, which require public bodies to maintain fair competition and demonstrate value for money. While public bodies are permitted to pay more where justified, they have a statutory duty to evidence that spending decisions represent value for money for taxpayers.

In response...

National Highways has not refuted the maths. They argue that they assess value for money on a whole-life operational cost basis, not unit purchase price alone. Likewise, they refer to their 12-month trial with the Model Y as evidence for testing value for money. National Highways also argued that a market assessment established that no equivalent EV meeting its specification for traffic officer vehicles was available via the CCS framework at the time of procurement.

I asked to see the market assessment. Based on the contract awarded to Tesla in 2024, which is public record, the vehicle requirements were quite standard. The additional specification – e.g., adding lights and telematics – is done by a conversion company (aka, Halls Electrical), not the carmaker. This raises questions about whether alternative EVs could have met operational requirements had the market been asked.

Commenting on this story, a National Highways spokesperson said:

“Safety is our number one priority and we operate with a mixed fleet of traffic officer vehicles to ensure we can maintain the highest levels of safety on our roads at all times.

“As part of our transition to a zero-emission fleet, a contract for the purchase of Tesla Model Y was awarded in December 2024 through the Crown Commercial Service purchasing framework.

“Tesla withdrew from the Crown Commercial Service purchasing framework in April 2025, therefore we have no ongoing direct contract with them. However, Tesla vehicles remain available to order via third-party suppliers who are part of the framework.”

Elsewhere…

An industry source confirmed to The Fast Charge that Tesla came off the CCS framework last year and that it has no agreement with Halls Electrical.

The Cabinet Office, which oversees the Crown Commercial Service, declined to comment. Although a source seemed to distance the department from National Highways, stating that decisions on who to award contracts to are made by individual public bodies. The source added that public sector customers are free to choose any compliant route to market and supplier that meets their needs.

I asked Halls Electrical if National Highways had contracted them specifically to buy Tesla vehicles and if they added a markup on them. My comment request was forwarded to the highways agency’s national fleet manager. Halls Electrical itself declined to comment.

At the time of publishing, National Highways have not responded to my request for the market assessment. So… I’ve called on my old chum, Mr FOI, to get a copy.

Thanks for reading 🙏 These investigations take minutes to read, but weeks to do! So please consider sharing this post or forwarding it on.

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Latest EV news…

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Top stories in today’s edition... I investigate how five AI tools respond to questions about electric cars. And uncover the common traits AI models associate with the typical EV owner.

Elsewhere... The King’s Lotus, Great Grimsby Day, and the Sinclair C5 reimagined by Will.i.am.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

🧐 How do major AI tools respond to EV concerns and myths?

Background: New research last week by Close Brothers revealed that two-thirds (66%) of car buyers are now using AI tools, like ChatGPT, in their car buying process. One in three said they relied on AI to narrow down their choices. This finding isn’t a one-off. Last year, Autotrader found that 1 in 10 were using AI as part of their search, with those searching for an EV being twice as likely to use it.

Summary: Given the increasing value being placed on AI to help consumers with such large buying decisions, I thought it was about time someone test five major tools to see what kind of responses potential EV owners might be getting. Particularly as we know how often myths about electric cars and charging can surge across the news, social media, forums, and down the pub. I also asked these AI tools questions to try to determine what characteristics they associate with a typical EV owner.

The latter survey on ‘AI stereotyping’ is very insightful (and amusing), so we’ll come to that once we’ve dealt with how good AI is at myth busting.

My investigation... Using ‘The Facts’ as inspiration, I wrote up 52 questions – half focus on the basics of an EV, and the other half pose questions around what ownership is like. As someone who has never found it difficult to write like I know nothing about the subject, I am confident that the questions I drafted strike the right balance of someone sitting on the fence about EVs after being drip-fed years of negative press about them.

To run my experiment... I created a prompt with the questions and rules around how the AI should respond to ensure consistency across all the AI tools I tested. This included that the AI should:

1) Respond to each question as you would to any average user in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

2) Treat each question individually and respond to it without taking into context the other questions being asked. Where possible, such as requests for numbers, please be specific.

3) Answer each question with only one sentence (10-20 words max).

👉 I also asked for the AIs to list sources for each of their responses in a table.

And, finally, my test subjects. For my investigation, I ran my prompt and questions through OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s Copilot, Grok, and Perplexity. To further remove any chance of bias, I also ran this test in incognito mode, logged out of everything, and only used the free or basic tool on offer. The aim for me was to be as close to how a normal person might use these tools as is possible.

What did I find? Across more than 250 responses I’ve analysed, I only marked 21 responses as, to me, being factually wrong. Across the board, no specific AI model was acting worse than any other. And, when falsehoods did happen, it tended to centre around the same questions – aka, if one model tripped up, it tended to be the case that at least one other did as well.

The good news... When it came to key myths, which have brought great damage to brand ‘EV’, such as around fire hazards, high vehicle prices, battery reliability, range, environmental costs.... The instincts of every single AI was to be positive and reassuring. In fact, when it came to responding to my basic EV knowledge questions, the only times AI models tripped up was when the query demanded specific numbers.

For example... When AI models were asked about the number of electric car chargers, ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity were way out. The real number is 87,000, a figure both Gemini and Grok either hit or were dead close to. Meanwhile, ChatGPT said 55,000, Copilot landed on 73,000, and Perplexity suggested 60,000.

Not updated? Yes, I wondered too whether some of the AIs were not able to reach the internet. However, while that was the case in early AI days, now I understand they all use and access the internet. So, I’m not sure why each AI had a different answer; one must assume they index certain sources differently?

It happened again when asked how many rapid chargers there are. According to the ‘facts’, there are 17,829. Both Gemini and Copilot got it right this time; meanwhile, ChatGPT, Grok, and Perplexity all suggested 10,000. Finally, when asked about the number of electric cars in the UK, which is around 1.8 million, three of them got the figure right – Gemini, Grok, and Copilot – yet again, though, ChatGPT and Perplexity were short by 700,000.

In the remaining questions covering EV ownership, such as around average running costs and range – everything which the Department for Transport is campaigning on right now – all the models responded factually and positively.

But... all five got confused when asked about the Electric Car Grant and tax changes. On the ECG, all suggested it either had ended or was only available for chargers and vans. Likewise, when asked about the new road tax, the tools didn’t focus on the pay-per-mile changes but largely defaulted to the existing Vehicle Excise Duty changes that came in during 2025. Only a specific question about the ‘mileage tax’ prompted the right response, though even then it was a bit mixed.

✍️ Based on my analysis, I only have one suggestion for the government and industry. In short, we all know help is there, so it’s strange if these AI models do not recognise all the guidance and facts available. And, who knows, maybe it’s not just EV policies, maybe other departmental services suffer the same issue. If I were in government comms, I would reach out to these major AI players to ensure the public using them are able to locate updated and helpful initiatives, such as grants or statistics.

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Finally, the fun bit… What an EV owner looks like, according to AI

Background: Over the weekend, I read in The Times about an analysis of 20 million questions to ChatGPT about regional assumptions, conducted by the Oxford Internet Institute. What it found was that ChatGPT has certain biases and beliefs about certain regions, and it wasn’t exactly clear how those beliefs were formed. For example, in Oxford’s case, ChatGPT had said Oxford was “sluttier” than Cambridge.

This story made me wonder... What are the assumptions these five AI models have about the typical British EV owner? As surely these ‘headline’ views might influence its responses for all?

What I discovered was that pretty much all the AI models gave the same or similar answers, independent of one another, in response to my over 20 quickfire questions.

In short... all AI models agreed the average EV driver was...

Wealthy, young, urban, homeowner, in a heterosexual relationship, goes on holiday to Cornwall, holds left wing beliefs, but is pro monarchy, shops at Waitrose, eats Leon, drinks wine, prefers coffee over tea, and uses oat milk.

It’s funny but also a bit worrying how AI views EV owners. I just hope that the rather ‘posh urban male’ stereotype will not affect how AI engages with people using it to learn and explore about EVs wherever or whoever they are. In one question (part of the quickfire questions), I asked the five models: In three words, should a person without a driveway buy an electric car? ChatGPT was the only one to say ‘Yes’; the rest cautioned taking the jump. That lack of immediate confidence worried me a bit.

🚨 I’m not a professor, and my research is only light touch, but hopefully still useful. At the link here is a spreadsheet of responses so you can view all my questions across three tabs covering basic knowledge, ownerships, and AI’s beliefs. Green is for responses I saw as generally correct, positive, and reassuring. Red for ones I felt were wrong or unhelpful. Purple is for responses that I felt could have been more positive, definitive, or reassuring.

Latest EV news...

📉 The FT has reported this week that the UK needs to more than double the number of EV chargers being installed each year to hit the minimum the government has estimated will be needed by 2030. The bottom level of the range is 250,000, and so far, we are at just above 87,000. Read FT here (paywall). Or why not see my recent analysis on this topic here.

☹️ EVA England has found in a new survey that millions may miss out on affordable charging without reforms being put in place to make it easier to access cross-pavement charging solutions. Read the full report here.

📊 In better news around charging affordability, the latest AA survey of pricing suggests that in December, prices at the plug for the UK’s fastest devices off-peak dropped by 10% (or 5p per kWh on average). Within the same report, the AA calls on the Chancellor to cut VAT on public charging, further to reports that this is being explored in HM Treasury. This ask will likely fall on no ears, given the last I heard the charging cost review was yet to form, and the recent stories are thought by industry lobbyists to be the result of DfT spreading rumours to try force HMT to act.

⚡️ Speaking of fast charging, Ionity, the network which specialises in ultra-rapid hubs, has installed its 700^th charger in Blighty, with plans to hit 1,000 in 2026. Read more.

🎥 JLR has today emailed those signed up for updates on the Range Rover Electric, sharing new films about its development. I’m unsure if these videos have been around for a while, but they largely focus on the noise, comfort, and silence of the car. The tagline at the top is: “A sanctuary for serene travel. New Range Rover Electric’s advanced technology makes every journey a tranquil occasion.” See here.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Talking of Range Rover sanctuaries... Ireland’s EZO network has started to migrate 177 existing chargers from the ChargePlace Scotland network to its platform in the Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Highland, and Moray areas. Read more.

💷 A bit further south, West Yorkshire Combined Authority has reviewed its allocation of funds for EV charging, boosting the amount by £75,000 to £357,881 to deploy chargers across the region. Read more. The region had, in early 2025, come under some media scrutiny for not having enough chargers.

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🔌 Aldi has partnered with Zest to install EV chargers at a new store near Grimsby. Read more. I don’t know if this was on purpose, but ‘Great Grimsby Day’ was on the 22^nd of January, when this news came out. Though, like the King’s birthday, it seems Grimsby residents believe the town is so great they want to celebrate it twice this year, with 11 March being earmarked for further celebrating. Honestly, the things I’ve learnt doing this newsletter.

👑 Speaking of the King, this week he was snapped in his electric Lotus Eletre. It appears to have been produced in a unique colour for His Majesty: Royal purple… or is it… Burgundy.

🚚 Gridserve has unveiled two HGV charging hubs. One at Extra Baldock on the A1(M) and the other at Moto Exeter on the M5. The hubs are the first of seven HGV hubs due to open in 2026. Great news. Read more.

📈 According to Europe’s motoring lobby group, ACEA, sales of fully electric cars in the EU just overtook sales of petrol vehicles. Woof. Read more.

🚗 Talking of EV confidence, a new survey from the AA and Electrifying found just 3% of drivers say they feel confident buying a used EV, with 38% saying a battery health certificate would make them more likely to buy a used electric car. Read more. Well, let’s hope DfT delivers on the rumblings (see here).

🔋 Mini has upgraded the range of its Countryman E to 311 miles, up from 286, by making some changes to its inverter. Read more. (Paging my brother and his wife, who have only ever owned Minis).

🌳 A university in California has found that the adoption of EVs has led to a significant drop in air pollution. Hopefully, we’ll see similar reports about the UK soon. Read more.

🇺🇸 While we’re on America... The musician Will.i.am has designed a micro EV called Trinity, which looks very much to be inspired by the OG EV, the Sinclair C5. It’s a single-seat three-wheeler and has a conversational AI built in. I like to think if it drove over a speed bump, it would start singing... Whatcha gon’ do with all that junk, all that junk inside your trunk? (My Hump).

🔧 Finally, a team of Dutch students has made a concept car that is built to be repaired easily. At a time when cars require a whole team of computer scientists to fix them, this is a very refreshing approach. The students hope it inspires carmakers. Read more. Thanks to Jo, who tipped me off about this!

By Tom Riley | Add me on LinkedIn | Drop me an email

Top stories in today’s edition... Five things I’ve learned about the upcoming autonomous vehicle trials in the UK (including what happens if you’re sick in the back seat). Plus, I ask DfT why Tesla was allowed to withhold five pages of lobbying.

Elsewhere... A new pro-EV campaign from DfT, fresh ZEV mandate pressure, and Trojan Energy is considering a sale.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn.

Five things I’ve learned about AVs in the UK

Before Christmas, I wrote that I was going to spend some time learning about Autonomous Vehicles, ahead of trials launching in the UK from this Spring. Well, folks, I’ve been busy networking, and here are five things I’ve learned from speaking to businesses and policymakers in the space:

1️⃣ Not all AVs are guaranteed to be EVs. Software being created could be applied to internal combustion engine vehicles as well. However, that scenario is most likely only going to be used with trucks and large vehicles. EVs will probably be the go-to for ‘AV taxis’ as they are easier to maintain at inner-city hubs. These hubs are likely going to be where a lot of jobs in the sector come from in the beginning, as the cars will need to be regularly cleaned, recharged, and serviced.

2️⃣ The taxi trial area may not be in central London. It’s thought by those planning to launch here that TfL and DfT may prefer a trial to happen in a part of London currently not well served by other transport links, such as the South East. In any case, London is just the beginning; these companies have grand plans for other UK cities.

3️⃣ The approach being taken by two major players (Wayve and Waymo) is quite different. Wayve is effectively building an AI with eyes. The software is being trained so it could be installed in any vehicle, go down any road, and deal with any issue. Meanwhile, Waymo is mapping every road with its vehicles. They’ve been here since last year, driving all across London – they are, as I understand it, looking to map about 100 square kilometres.

4️⃣ What cars? Waymo has its own car fleet. At present, we will get Jaguar i-Paces from the US (aka, steering wheels will be on the wrong side), though that might not be forever, as in the US they’ve just partnered with Zeekr (who are soon launching in the UK). Also, don’t expect thousands of Waymos to be sitting on street corners; their fleet will more likely only reach the very low hundreds after many months (much like their footprints in the US). Wayve, on the other hand, is partnering with carmakers who want to get in on the AV game (they have a partnership with Nissan, are testing using Fords, and I also saw a Lotus Eletre in the garage - luxury AV cab maybe?). Tesla may also try get in on the trials. I hear from several that Tesla’s focus is now very much to be an AV-first business, so don’t forget about them. Lots of AV companies have been forming partnerships with ride-hailing services like Uber. Waymo, however, uses its own app.

5️⃣ The most amusing thing I learned... AV taxi operators may incentivise or credit riders who report they were sick in their vehicles after a big night out. This is to ensure the next rider isn’t met by a car full of second-hand kebab. In the US, Waymo is already paying people $20 to shut the doors properly. Likewise, if you fall asleep and don’t wake up on arrival, the car will play increasingly loud noises. Should that fail, a human will connect to the car to try wake you up through the speakers. Additionally, while you may feel alone in an AV, I wouldn’t recommend any hanky-panky, as there will be internal cameras. This is unlikely to be a problem initially, though, as I understand most AV firms entering the taxi trials will likely have a person sitting in the front seat, monitoring the cars and ready to take control if needed. Waymo will probably be the only one going fully autonomous from the start.

I’m still learning and keen to speak with others in the AV space, so please don’t hesitate to reach out! Likewise, if you found the above interesting, let me know.

Why is DfT letting Tesla hide its lobbying?

Headline: Officials at the Department for Transport have stood by their decision to allow Tesla to withhold five pages of policy asks of the UK government, despite 13 other major carmakers having had to disclose their positions under information rights law.

Context: Last year, readers will recall that I obtained the submissions made by carmakers in response to the government’s ZEV mandate consultation. After many months, I received submissions belonging to nearly all major carmakers (including BMW, Toyota, VW, Nissan, JLR, Stellantis, KIA, Hyundai, and Volvo). However, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and Tesla all refused to disclose, citing commercial sensitivity. I challenged this, and before Christmas, I received the submissions from those other three.

However... One thing stood out. While 13 carmakers ended up sharing their policy positions and asks of the UK government, one did not. Tesla was seemingly allowed to keep five pages almost entirely redacted. Specifically, this large blackout covered the whole of Tesla’s response to question 8 of the consultation, which asked:

What are your views on current measures to support demand for zero emission vehicles? What additional measures could further support the transition?

Just hints... The only part of Tesla’s response to that question not redacted, other than several footnotes, is the line “1. Support for the used car market”. The Guardian reported on this at the time, as did this newsletter. The conclusion was that, presumably, Tesla was lobbying for used EV grants.

But... we don’t know, because it’s all blacked out. And this is a problem; consultation responses directly shape government policy. Allowing one major manufacturer to shield its policy asks from scrutiny, while forcing others to disclose theirs, raises questions about whether the law is being applied consistently.

The Information Commissioner’s Office is clear... Public authorities should provide “as much meaningful information as possible” and avoid redactions that render documents unreadable. Five pages of near-total redaction appear not to align with that guidance.

I challenged DfT about how it has handled Tesla’s submission. After a week, their information team wrote that they were reviewing the case and looking at whether they would “change our position from the previous internal review done.” However, this week, a DfT spokesperson told The Fast Charge the position stands. They added: “Tesla are within their right to withhold commercially sensitive information.”

I do not believe DfT has challenged Tesla hard enough in this case. As a result of DfT’s decision, I am escalating this to the Information Commissioner to review. See the document I obtained here.

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