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.”

Share

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 🤐.

Why not get a free trial?

Get 14 day free trial

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)

Share

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.

Share

Latest EV news…

Read more

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.

Subscribe now

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.

Subscribe now

🔌 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.

Latest EV news...

Read more

Top story in today’s edition... I can reveal that the King’s supermarket of choice, Waitrose, significantly missed its EV charge point ambitions.

Elsewhere... Rumours about a VAT cut by the Treasury, Transport for London looks for someone to develop AV policies, and Polestar backs a used EV grant.

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

🛒 Waitrose’s EV charger rollout stalls as other supermarkets power ahead. Why?

Summary: Four years after Waitrose pledged to install 800 charge points across 100 of its stores by 2025, the premium supermarket that holds a Royal Warrant has revealed to The Fast Charge that it significantly missed its target and is currently “assessing future opportunities” to build on its position.

Context: Back in 2021, the John Lewis Partnership, which is the parent company of Waitrose, made a big splash by partnering with Shell to install hundreds of EV chargers at stores, and to increase the number of Shell forecourts stocking Waitrose food. The pledge was for 800 devices, with press reports at the time suggesting 100 stores would each have destination hubs containing six 22kW and two 50kW chargers available to shoppers.

At the time... former Waitrose Executive Director, James Bailey, commented: “This is an important partnership for Waitrose and means we can offer even greater convenience to more of our customers. We’re also delighted to bring our customers 800 new charging points for electric vehicles, including new rapid charging capabilities, as the UK moves more and more towards a sustainable transport network.”

In the beginning... It looked like Waitrose was making progress. By February 2023, according to the website Electrifying.com, 21 stores boasted 138 chargers available. To save you the time, that’s 6.57 charge points per store. Clearly, a bit short of what they originally claimed but, two years ago, the charging industry was still finding its feet and did have some significant grid issues to contend with.

However... This week, I have conducted several scans of Zapmap and could only count an estimated 60 Waitrose stores listed as having charge points available. Based on what I can see available, I estimate that around 325 individual chargers exist across those stores. In any case, whichever way you cut it, they were far short of 800 chargers at 100 sites.

Additionally... During my tally, I only noted 12 stores that clearly had 8 or more chargers. By comparison, I found 27 that appeared to only host 4 or fewer.

My estimate suggests Waitrose didn’t just miss its target; its ambition seems to have evaporated. When I first approached the John Lewis Partnership about their supermarket’s progress a week ago, I was fully expecting them, being a large UK Plc, to counter my query hard. However, instead, I had to chase them five times over email and phone calls, as well as keep extending my deadline for them. I only got a response yesterday afternoon.

In a response to this story, a Waitrose spokesperson told The Fast Charge:

“We’ve made good progress in expanding our electric vehicle charging capacity, and have now installed charging points across two thirds of our planned sites. We are assessing future opportunities to develop this further.”

For the eagle-eyed amongst you... Yes, they are claiming that charge points are available at two thirds of Waitrose’s ‘planned sites’. This is similar to my own findings, though my analysis suggests they missed the target number of charge points (800) by more than half.

Important for you to know then... The company provided no background information to me outside that above statement. Nothing about how many stores currently have EV charging, how many chargers are live, or why the original ambition of 800 chargers at 100 sites by 2025 was missed. When asked directly why the target was not achieved, the spokesperson simply advised they were not able to share details about it.

So, what’s happened? At first, I wondered if their partnership with Shell may not have worked out. However, given John Lewis’s media team have made zero effort – in fact declined – to explain anything; taken together... the missed target... the slowdown in roll-out... and the refusal to explain ‘why’ raises questions over whether EV charging has been quietly deprioritised.

There’s evidence that this isn’t the only EV policy John Lewis has rolled back on. In 2020, within a John Lewis Ethics and Sustainability Report, the company revealed it had an ambition to have a “full-scale” roll out of electric vans within “the next two to three years”. This clearly never happened, not helped presumably by the fact that Arrival, now bankrupt, was due to supply them. Even so, the electric van target appears to have been 3,000 by 2030 during 2023. But, as of today, the John Lewis website states the aim is to have 2,500 by 2030.

Here’s what I don’t understand. A report by Zapmap and the RAC in September last year revealed UK supermarkets – from M&S to Morrisons and Lidl, Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys (even Co-op!) – have been installing chargers at a rapid pace (34% rise since the end of 2023). Meanwhile, Waitrose, which you’d think has the exact kind of customer base that may already have or be seriously considering an EV, doesn’t seem bothered. It’s just weird given all the fuss that was made about their previous pledges.

Supermarket charging hubs are clearly a winner. I’ll leave you with this fact... In January 2024, Sainsburys launched its own charging network called ‘SmartCharge’. In two years, the Sainsburys team have installed 660+ ultra-rapid charging bays at more than 80 stores. And in a clear sign of their ability to build loyalty, I’m told SmartCharge users earned a combined 21 million Nectar points in 2025 – that’s £105,000 worth. That’s a lot of cheese.

Latest EV news...

👀 VAT rumours (Pt.1). The Daily Telegraph this week has caused quite the stir amongst the EV community. According to the Telegraph, the Treasury is so worried about the impact of the 2028 road tax for EVs that, as part of its review into charging costs, it’s considering equalising the VAT rate applied at public chargers (20%) to the one applied for domestic homes (5%). A Whitehall source told the Telegraph: “The way we convince people to switch to EVs is by showing people it is easy and it is cheap. There are savings to be had here for many people.”

💷 VAT rumours (Pt.2). Like most people, I hope they do make it cheaper to run an EV. However, I’m cautious as to why they would do this now. It feels short-term. Why would you make a new tax, only to then drop another tax elsewhere? Additionally, lowering VAT is only a temporary break. Of course, immediately after a cut, there would be a very visible drop in charge point prices. But, a few years down the line, I’m sure a lot of that margin would be soaked up by operators. And if the Treasury ever wanted to change its mind, it would be politically impossible to put it back up. For me, I’ve always believed in a middle ground, offering 5% at on-street slow chargers, which is more akin to someone with a driveway. Read a report by the MailOnline here.

⚡️ Speaking of prices, a new update from Motability’s EV tracker has revealed 52% of EV drivers pick chargers based on “tariff or price”, with proximity to the charger responsible for 27% and charging speed responsible for 20%. Cost was also the most important factor for disabled drivers on the Motability Scheme, being responsible for 48% of their choice. Read more.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 This may help keep charging costs stable. Yesterday, in the Scottish Government’s Budget, they announced 10 years of 100% business rates relief for EV charge points. Mirroring the Chancellor’s Budget announcement last year. Vicky Read, chief executive of ChargeUK, commented: “It is very positive to see the Scottish Government take action.”

🔌 The borough of Lewisham is going to get at least 200 new on-street chargers from Zest, who are partnering with the local council to deliver and operate chargers for 15 years. Read more.

🧑‍⚖️ In 2022, a driver of a Volkswagen ID.4 claimed it accelerated forward of its own accord before killing a five-year old boy and injuring his own son. A police expert could not find a fault with the vehicle; in any case, the jury cleared the driver. It turns out, other ID.4 users have had similar problems with their models, so VW may be facing a case in the US. Read more (paywall).

👍 In more positive news, despite the recent changes in the EU, the FT reports that car executives are still positive about EVs, with KIA saying they’ll remain central. Read more (paywall).

🚗 Polestar has said the UK government is missing an opportunity by not making used EV grants available. Read more.

😱 On the topic of used cars, new data from Autotrader shows the average used EV took 30 days to sell – which is five days faster than both the market average and their petrol counterparts (35 days respectively). EVs which were 3-5-year-old electric models sold in just 25 days. Read more.

👊 A new update to the ‘EV Facts’ initiative has seen the AA state that EVs are more likely to be successfully repaired at the roadside than petrol or diesel cars, with a repair rate of almost 89% versus 87.5% for internal combustion engines. Similarly, despite a third of consumers expressing concern about battery health, data from the AA reveals that the 12-volt battery in an ICE car is a more likely reason for a call out than the battery of an electric car. Great to see this myth-busting continue into 2026. Read more.

✍️ Talking of myth busting, the Transport Select Committee is examining how effectively the transition to EVs is progressing, considering the range of factors that are influencing uptake. If you have evidence, you’ve got until 30 January to submit it. Find details here.

🤖 Finally, with autonomous vehicles on the horizon in the UK, Transport for London is on the hunt for a new Vehicle Policy Manager. The role holder would be responsible for developing and producing proposals for revisions to taxi, private hire, pedicab, and autonomous passenger service vehicle licensing requirements. Apply here.

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

I trust you all had a terrific festive period and are ready for whatever 2026 throws up. By the looks of things, it could be the most critical year yet for the EV industry.

Top story in today’s edition... I reveal the slow progress being made by the Government Car Service to go electric, with a fresh comparison to figures from 5 years ago.

Elsewhere... Car registration figures, chargepoint installations, new research suggesting chilly weather cools EV demand, and BYD hires former Gridserve manager to deploy its new ‘Flash Charging’ network.

And last, but certainly not least, I’m pleased to share that I’m joining the new Global Women in EV Day campaign as a founding partner – including details of how you can get involved too.

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

👀 Revealed: Ministerial fleet’s slow progress to go electric

Summary: Just as we broke up for the festive period, I received an early Christmas gift from the Cabinet Office – a Freedom of Information response all about the Government Car Service. Aka, the fleet that exists to ferry around ministers.

The headline? The size of the ministerial fleet is now 108. It’s got 88 drivers on the payroll. And, out of those 108, only 42 are fully electric, 60 are hybrids, and six are purely petrol-powered. Here’s my observations...

To me... The size of that fleet seems enormous. By law, the UK Government can only have up to 109 paid ministerial roles across the board. Under Kier Starmer’s government, it’s believed there are around 120 ministers, as some are unpaid. That still means, as there are only 24 ministerial departments, that each Secretary of State could have almost 5 cars in the garage. Wowsers.

Likewise... 88 drivers, that is huge! I appreciate that we don’t want our ministers turning up to events in an Uber, but 88 does feel quite large. That’s bigger than most companies.

More importantly... I was quite surprised to discover that, despite the government having a deadline of 2027 for a fully electric fleet, the fact that, with 12 months to go, the ministerial cars are still largely petrol-powered feels misaligned with their rhetoric. Yes, of course, as I’ve reported before, we do not want to have a situation where our ministers can be blown to smithereens. However, as I said to The Times, which kindly covered these statistics over New Year, you do have to practise what you preach!

For comparison... Back in January 2021, I made the same request about the GCS fleet. In one of my first scoops for this newsletter, I found that only 2 in 10 cars (18 out of 87) were fully electric. So, despite having had five years, the Government Car Service doesn’t seem to have made much progress at all, adding only 14 more BEVs.

My bet is the GCS will be allowed to miss that deadline, although I hope to be proved wrong.

Finally, on this story... The Cabinet Office refused to tell me which makes and models of EVs they kept in their fleet. They cited national security as the reason not to disclose. However, having gone through Hansard, it seems the Department for Transport and the Scotland Office didn’t get that memo. In October 2024, both departments revealed they had been allocated a Jaguar I-Pace. Doh! Furthermore, in 2020, the then Conservative Government revealed to Parliament a full list of car models they’d procured which, from an EV perspective, included the Nissan Leaf alongside the i-Pace. Woops!

🚨 I am supporting Global Women in EV Day on 10 February

Summary: I’m really pleased to share that The Fast Charge is joining Global Women in EV Day, a new campaign to elevate the women driving the global transition to electric mobility, as a Founding Partner.

Why now... I have been covering the EV sector each week for more than five years now, and while I’ve seen more female voices in this industry – which is terrific – the truth is, the automotive and energy sectors can still be very male-dominated. There are lots of existing projects to raise the profile of women in these industries, though with Gill Nowell at the helm of this campaign, probably one of the UK’s earliest EV advocates, I’m excited for what this initiative can achieve.

The facts also remain stark... According to the IEA, wages for women in energy businesses are 15-20% lower than their male equivalents. Likewise, consistent studies have found that women feel under-represented in leadership roles across the automotive industry. One Deloitte report from 2020 found that this was felt by 90% of women surveyed.

I cannot give out any jobs. However, as a publisher, I can work harder to champion women’s voices. So, my pledge for the launch of this campaign is simple: I am going to increase the number of female EV industry voices quoted and featured in this newsletter. I’ll also be plugging this campaign in the run-up to its launch on the 10^th of February.

Want to get involved? If you or your organisation is interested to learn more or would like to become a Founding Partner, you can drop Gill a message on LinkedIn. Or, why not sign up for the launch event in London (here).

⚡️ Latest EV news...

Read more

Top story in today’s edition... Top dogs at the Department for Transport are quietly exploring how to make the Electric Car Grant work for used vehicles.

Elsewhere... The latest EV news and recapping my favourite articles of 2025.

Before all that, whether you’ve already broken up or are just about to, I wish you and your family a tremendous Christmas and a Happy New Year. This newsletter will return on the 7^th of January.

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

🚨 Top DfT officials are quietly exploring how to make a used EV grant work

According to several industry sources, senior officials at the Department for Transport have recently been entertaining debate and sounding out views from industry on how the Electric Car Grant could be extended to cover used electric cars.

The Fast Charge understands policy officials are said to be broadly warm to the idea and sensitive to industry asks for including second hand EVs under the grant scheme. However, it’s understood that the main barrier is how such a scheme could practically function.

One industry figure suggested DfT had been considering ways to make it work and wanted to be handed models for how it could be implemented. Another sector source suggested officials are concerned about potential fraud within the scheme if the existing scheme specifications were to be changed.

A source at the Whitehall department told The Fast Charge that the grant criteria is kept “under review” but that there are no current plans to expand it to used vehicles. Notably, there was no denial that DfT isn’t keen to expand it, nor a denial that it’s being discussed with industry.

Making used EVs eligible for the scheme would certainly be popular in the automotive sector, as it has been asked for by several organisations, including the AA, the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), and Motability. Major carmakers such as Tesla and Jaguar Land Rover have also made similar asks for used EV support schemes this year within their ZEV mandate consultation responses.

At the recent Budget in November, it was confirmed that the Electric Car Grant would be boosted by £1.3 billion – the initial funding for the scheme was £650 million. Currently, 43 EV models are eligible under the scheme, which is focused on making new EVs more affordable.

A DfT spokesperson said in response to this story:

“The Electric Car Grant has helped more than 40,000 drivers make the switch to an EV, saving up to £3,750 on a new electric car. By boosting competition, the grant is helping drive down prices and expand choice for consumers.

“Sales of used electric vehicles rose by 44% between July and September compared to last year, and two in five used EVs are now priced under £20,000.”

Latest EV news...

🚗 KIA is the latest carmaker to have models added to the Electric Car Grant scheme. Read more.

👍 Congratulations to friends at the think tank New AutoMotive who are uniting with the global energy think tank Ember. New AutoMotive will become part of a new group led by Ember, continuing to operate as an independent organisation in the near term. Read more.

🚙 Great feature by The Guardian on the £450 million upgrade at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland and the wider goings on around carmakers, further to the EU’s move to lower its EV ambition. Read more.

⚡️ EVA England has launched a new survey on cross-pavement charging to understand the experiences of drivers without access to off-street parking. Learn more.

💷 Renault has been accused of cashing in on the Electric Car Grant by the website Electrifying. This is because the finance rates have risen sharply on cars which are eligible for the grant, whereas before they were available as low as 0%. Renault denies this. Read more.

📍 A GPS tracking system being used by charging network InstaVolt has been successful in recovering equipment and cables from two thefts. Read more.

🚑 The Welsh Ambulance Service has revealed its first 10 fully electric vehicles, which will be used by paramedics. They are from the Chinese carmaker Maxus. Read more.

🤔 A recent readiness survey conducted by the AA has shed light on what we all know: the ups and downs around EV policy, both in the UK and EU, are not inspiring confidence in drivers. Read more.

🔌 Glasgow City Region – which is made up of eight councils – is looking for an operator to deliver more than 3,000 chargers across the area. The operator would also take over 600 existing charge points, with the cost met by private sector investment and £3.6m of Transport Scotland funding. Read more.

Top stories in 2025…

Thank you for continuing to read my ‘Private Eye for EVs’, especially to those of you who have parted with actual money pounds – you have enabled me to pursue stories I would never normally have time to chase and, in turn, this publication has had more scoops than a Knickerbocker Glory!

Amazingly, Fast Charge exclusives were picked up more than 15 times by national outlets this year, including the BBC, Guardian, Telegraph, Mail, and The Sun (alongside countless others in the trade media). Subscribers have grown by 50% year-on-year, and readership is up 75% - currently averaging 18,000 a month. Which isn’t bad for a niche publication posting once a week.

In case you missed them, here’s my top five most viewed and shared stories of the year...

1) Plans reversed: In the top spot was my scoop that BT had pulled the plug on its plans for turning green boxes into charge points, after only installing one, despite planning to do 60,000. The story ended up being picked up everywhere and was even the tiebreaker question in one of Radio 4's weekly news quizzes.

Funny thing about it all was… the day this story got picked up by lots of outlets, I was stuck in the basement of a hospital with no signal. It was only while getting a coffee that I saw on another person's phone that they were reading it on the BBC.

2) EV inferno: In the number two spot, it was the news that the UK’s first electric fire engine had never actually been used to, err, tackle a real fire... after three years! This story was not a good one for London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and it went through certain Facebook groups like a hot knife through butter.

3) Dealer EV knowledge: In third place, my ‘test’ of the EV experience at 15 West London car dealerships during the Summer. It was very popular, and my insights (and amateur video documenting), which revealed how dire the EV education was amongst dealers, inspired several others to go out and try the same thing, including, I hear, some staff at carmakers. It was great fun to do, and the fact that it may have inspired some positive action as a result is thrilling. Read it here. Or why not watch my video below?

4) Cable theft: Another popular story this year was my special feature on the rise of cable theft by organised crime gangs. To me, this is the biggest and, despite the cost, still fairly unreported on story of this past year. It’s an issue which, without the UK government taking more seriously asap, is surely going to hit the mainstream before too long. If you haven’t read it, do give my feature a read.

5) Carmaker lobbying: And last, but by no means least, my stories and publications of lobbying undertaken by carmakers about weakening the ZEV mandate continued to be popular this year. I appreciate that they are not quite as exciting as the Epstein files, but you can access all the submissions made by carmakers within the story below (with Tesla, Ford, and Mercedes now added in too).

And that’s it for 2026!

Thank you again for all your support this year. I cannot put into words how much I value every read, like, share, reply, thumbs up, or even criticism.

Also, special mention to my partner, Eve, for supporting me this year every step of the way as I’ve taken this publication full time. Not only has she had to put up with some really nerdy automotive chat, but she’s also had to share in my anxiety after taking on several more, err, sensitive stories. Thanks Eve 🩵

Right, gushy bit out of the way. I look forward to writing for you all again in January, and I wish you all a great festive period before then. Merry Christmas! x

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

I’ve been writing this newsletter for nearly five years, and this is the first time I’ve felt obligated to update you ASAP about a story in my newsletter.

In short, as many of you will have read in my email earlier today, I initially reported on a Financial Times interview with the Minister for Industry, Chris McDonald, which suggested the existing ZEV mandate review was being brought forward in response to the EU’s changes.

It has taken that story being up for 12 hours for the UK government to rebut it as being wrong. I have in the last hour received the following statement:

A Government spokesperson said: “We have not brought forward the ZEV Mandate review. As previously committed, we will publish the review in early 2027 which means preparatory work will begin next year so stakeholders can be properly engaged.

“Zero-emission vehicles are good for family finances and good for the environment – saving typical drivers as much as £1,500 a year on fuel. The transition to EVs is crucial to delivering jobs and growth, improved air quality, energy security, as well as quieter cleaner towns and cities.”

I have updated my own story from earlier to reflect the above.

I sadly do not know whether the Minister wrongly gave the FT the impression that the review was going to be brought forward or not, and I did ask the Department for Transport if they knew what the Industry Minister had said. Though I’m not sure they knew either.

It really does blow my mind that the communications in response to that article could be so slow and disjointed.

When I was in government comms in the run-up to Brexit, the moment there was any false story circulating online, you had to jump all over it with tweets, statements and facts. There was a team in the Cabinet Office that sat in front of about six screens tracking all the main outlets and journalists - known as the Rapid Rebuttal Unit. It was very effective at preventing panic from spreading.

The miscommunication of today really makes me believe that a government funded anti-myth campaign around EVs is essential.

Hopefully, the next time you’ll hear from me, the story will be less confusing. Apologies if it was so today. At least the end result is, everything is fine (for now)!

Have a good evening! Tom

The top story this week... Following the European Commission's decision to make significant changes to its automotive climate commitments, the UK government confirms a ZEV mandate will occur but it’s not being brought forward. Summary and analysis below.

Elsewhere... Moto is launching its own charging network, HMRC updates mileage reimbursement rates, and another Chinese EV is coming to the UK.

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

Is the UK reviewing the ZEV mandate early in response to EU changes?

Summary: The European Commission, which oversees the EU (the group of European countries we left in 2020), has announced significant changes to how its version of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate will operate going forward. It follows considerable industry pressure, especially from big automotive producers like Germany, to push back their plan to end new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035. As a result, a UK government minister this morning suggested to the Financial Times it will bring a review of the ZEV mandate forward to 2026.

After a great many hours of confusion, the government finally published a statement rebuking this. A Government spokesperson said:

“We have not brought forward the ZEV Mandate review. As previously committed, we will publish the review in early 2027 which means preparatory work will begin next year so stakeholders can be properly engaged.”

What are the EU doing? The EU’s new plan will see its hard ban removed. Under the new proposal, only 90% of new cars sold from 2035 have to be zero-emission, rather than 100%. The remaining 10% can be made up by other fuel types. Lucien Mathieu, from Transport & Environment, has posted a good explainer as to how it will work in reality. In short, as the percentages relate to CO2 emissions, carmakers effectively now have a 10% CO2 allowance to either sell a lot of efficient plug-in hybrids. Or use it to sell just a handful of pure smoke-in-the-face combustion cars. It’s been provided to give carmakers a bit of flex, though the majority of sales will still need to be fully electric.

As you can imagine... The reaction amongst EV industry leaders in the UK about the prospect of another ZEV mandate review is one which, I believe, Zelda Fitzgerald’s character put quite well in the film ‘Midnight in Paris’, commenting that Owen Wilson looked: “Stunned. Stupefied. Anesthetized. Lobotomized.” Those feel like good words to describe many people’s feelings. Maybe others to add would be ‘anger’ and ‘anxiety’ at the obvious threat to existing investment, which up until this point had been getting a lot steadier in the UK.

Vicky Read, CEO of the trade body ChargeUK, reacted by saying:

“This adjustment does not change the fact that the transition to EVs is happening. The sale of almost all petrol and diesel cars will cease across the EU by 2035 if not before. Any thought of reopening discussion about the UK’s own ZEV mandate, which already contains flexibilities to support car manufacturers, would be a major over reaction putting billions of investment in charging at risk and undermining driver confidence.”

Elsewhere… Tanya Sinclair, CEO of Electric Vehicles UK, commented:

“Set aside the wider economic debate on Brexit, and this point is simple: the UK gained the ability to set clear, forward-looking electrification targets for manufacturers. Walking back from that ambition now, in step with parts of Europe, would mean squandering that advantage and weakening the UK’s position in a global transition that is moving, not slowing.”

Carmakers have had mixed reactions. Volkswagen, once the leading European carmaker on EVs, has welcomed the changes, saying it is “economically sound”. Meanwhile, Volvo, which though European in origin, is now owned by Chinese carmaker Geely, has criticised the changes. Certainly, these changes are likely not going to help the already struggling Polestar (one of Geely’s EV brands) from going under.

As far as I’m aware... As of Wednesday morning, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has yet to make a public comment. However, back in July, readers may remember that at a SMMT conference, Chief Executive Mike Hawes suggested that, if incentives were not forthcoming, they would want to look at a ‘fundamental’ review of the ZEV mandate. Obviously, since this date, there’s been a raft of incentives launched, including the new taxpayer-funded car grant and more charge point investment.

What are the implications for the UK? As above, a review of the ZEV mandate was always going to happen in 2027. It’s such a vast bit of legislation, it would be daft of anyone to suggest it’s set in stone. However, the concern is that, by bringing that review forward, the UK government will end up aligning more closely with the EU. Thus far, Downing Street has said it remains committed to ending the sale of new combustion vehicles by 2030 (aka, the existing policy). EU turn if you want to; the UK is not for turning.

But Riley here is a sceptic. This government is not in a strong place, and it is clearly under threat by those inside and outside the Labour Party. These changes also arrive as Starmer continues to strengthen the UK's relationship with the EU and its member states. He will not want to go too far out of alignment with them, or be seen by other nations, like the US, to be allowing Chinese imports to surge across British roads.

Read more

The top story this week... was published on Monday. If you missed my story about which local authorities did and did NOT apply to use DfT’s funding to deploy pavement channels for residents, there’s a small summary below.

Elsewhere... Lots of latest EV news, including that Octopus has changed its cheapest EV tariff, Ford is bringing back the Fiesta, and a statistic that made me disappointed in Britain.

As ever, if you have any comments or feedback, please reply to this email or message me on LinkedIn. Also, apologies this week that your normal one email has been split across two days. I thought DfT might publish the list below before I did!

1 in 5 local authorities shun pavement channel fund (as a huge 81 councils take it up!)

On Monday, I revealed that 19 local authorities decided not to apply to take up money from the UK government to deploy pavement channels to their residents. 11 of those 19 were London councils, which, as the image below demonstrates, has left a little bit of a postcode lottery for millions of people who live in areas where this solution is most needed. It was great to see GB News pick up this story today too. Read more.

Since publishing the story on Monday, I have also been reminded that, despite NOT applying for their allocation of £238,000 from the Department for Transport, Cornwall Council DOES allow residents to have and apply for a pavement channel. The council charges £175 for a licence (see here). I can’t imagine residents will be too pleased to know their council didn’t apply to get financial support. See the full council list at the link below…

Latest EV news...

🐙 One of the UK’s most popular EV home charging tariffs is Octopus’s Intelligent Go. However, from the end of January, the tariff that offers cheap off-peak rates will be automatically time-limited for six hours (read here). For most drivers, Octopus suggests they will see no difference, though some users on Reddit suggest this is spin for what could ultimately be an increase in cost. Clearly, they don’t want the same headlines OVO got when it increased its EV tariff.

👊 In better charging news, the Mole Valley District Council, which has more than 90 public chargers in car parks across Dorking, Leatherhead, Ashtead, and Bookham, is lowering its rates. They will drop from 55p per kWh to 49p per kWh. Holy Mole(y), it’s a Christmas miracle. Read more.

💷 Speaking of Christmas. The comparison site MoneySupermarket has suggested EV owners visiting family and friends over the festive period should offer to cover any charging costs, as they will prevent tensions with the host about who pays the leccy bill, according to a survey they commissioned. Read more.

☹️ In a similar vein, BYD commissioned a survey about who should pay for charging on a shared journey. Weirdly, more people (30%) said the driver should pay alone compared to those who suggested the cost should, err, be shared by all those in the car (27%). That is the saddest statistic I’ve read this year. BYD surveyed other etiquette behaviours. Read more.

🤖 In lighter news, autonomous vehicle company Waymo has started testing on London roads, ahead of its launch next year. See the image below.

Small ask: I am very keen to expand my AV knowledge, so if you have expertise I can learn from, please drop me an email!

🔋 Gridserve has installed new and hugely powerful 400kW chargers in Bristol. They come with an enormous 32-inch touchscreen. Bigger is better. Read more.

⚡️ Hounslow Council may have shunned pavement channels, but they want to go gangbusters with rapid chargers. This week, they announced the appointment of Zest to deliver a new network of rapid devices across the borough. It’s suggested that 100 sites have been identified. Read more.

🔌 In other council news, next Monday is a big day for the drivers of Rotherham, as the authority looks set to approve funding for 1,500 public chargers in the area. Read more.

👍 Moving down South, the London Borough of Greenwich has lots of charging news. Firstly, they’ve revealed that Shell-ubitricity and JOLT have been appointed to install 800 on-street chargers. More details are coming down the track soon as Greenwich, alongside fellow Sarfff Landon council Lewisham, are tendering for 1,150 more on-street chargers. Finally, they are launching a cross pavement trial. All the information is here.

🚙 This week, it was announced that Ford was partnering with Renault to bring back affordable models from 2028, such as the Fiesta in EV form. Read more. It’s lovely news, as who didn’t love the Fiesta? However, it also lends weight to the argument that Ford’s UK strategy to focus on premium models/buyers was, in fact, a triple D-sized boob all along.

📉 In other car news, the entry price of a Tesla Model Y in the UK has been cut by £3,000, according to Autocar.

If you missed it, do check out my piece last week about Tesla’s secret company to mitigate its risk over its UK performance.

🤫 A new study by the University of Leeds has found there’s no significant difference in pedestrian casualty rates between EVs and traditional petrol or diesel cars on UK roads. In the early days, it was often a joke that you couldn’t hear an EV coming, though in reality, nearly all do make a soft hum or moo noise to alert pedestrians, especially at low speeds. Read more.

⛏️ Due to restrictions established in February on exports of cobalt by the DRC, the price has jumped more than 100%. The price rises plus restrictions could impact countries like China, which are building one hell of a lot of EVs. Read more.

🏭 The Sunday Times has a long feature asking if the drive to EVs has run out of energy? It centres on conversations with manufacturing suppliers who are seeing their sales hit, but also veers into conversations around mandate penalties and what’s happening in the EU, which is reportedly going to delay their ICE ban from 2035 to 2040. Read the Sunday Times story here (paywall).

📊 Talking of worries, I recently attended an event with Char.gy where they shared findings from a September survey suggesting 8 in 10 drivers still believe that EVs are too expensive and that charging infrastructure is lacking. Which really underlines the importance of continued myth busting. Check out the findings yourself here – there’s 90 pages of data!

🚗 Going from new to used... Autotrader’s latest data for November shows a 5.5% year-on-year drop in average EV values. According to the marketplace, EVs took an average of 27 days to sell in November, two days quicker than a year earlier. Read more.

🤑 Finally... Charging operator InstaVolt, well-known to be one of the, if not the most expensive network around (standard price is £0.89p per kWh), revealed that a lady called Rebecca Parramore has already used InstaVolt’s Superhub in Winchester more than 175 times since March this year. Obviously, this is great news for the site. However, it’s hard not to think about how big her credit line must be. Read more.

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