No major party plans to push back the 2030 ban + Networks locking up to £50 per charge
No major party plans to push back the 2030 ban + Networks locking up to £50 per charge
The latest news from the world of EVs
Morning, I’m Tom Riley and welcome back to The Fast Charge, a British EV newsletter.
Top stories today include… I dive into the ongoing debate around the 2030 ban plus intel I’ve gathered from various Westminster sources.
Elsewhere… Why do so many charging networks still have such high pre-authorisation fees… does Tata’s gigafactory involve China… and would you do a test drive at home?
Finally, there will be no Fast Charge next week (Tues 15 Aug) as I’ll be on holiday. As ever, if you have any thoughts or comments, please do get in touch. My contact details are here or simply reply to this email.
Are the Tories and Labour really rowing back on 2030?
Background: There continues to be endless debate and campaigning in the mainstream media, plus by a continually active portion of Westminster, in calling for the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars to be pushed back.
Falling support… New polling by YouGov published yesterday in The Times has found that only 36% of voters back the policy, compared to 51% before COP26. In response to the data, one source told The Times that there are active discussions in government about making the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate voluntary for 2024. They said: “Officials are already revising down the numbers because they think there are going to be changes [to the scheme] in the short term.”
Enemy within… There were multiple stories last week that suggested Kemi Badenoch, the Business and Trade Secretary, has been behind the critical briefings. Her concerns are related to job security. A spokesperson for Badenoch told Politico last week: “If major car companies employing thousands of people are saying that there’s a problem, then it’s her job to look at ways to ease that problem.” This line got further airtime as both Toyota and Ford suggested the rules would be challenging to meet.
I’m told… Badenoch’s briefing is purely related to her own leadership positioning – when is it not with politicians I hear you cry – and she has jumped on the polling that is suggesting, in the face of stubborn inflation, that people are worried about the added costs from net zero policy. Which, I must say, I believe is a very understandable position to take should you not be following the news agenda closely.
However… What’s been interesting is Downing Street’s position on this matter. Despite over a week ago, Sunak told the Sunday Telegraph, “The 2030 target has been our policy for a long time and continues to be. We are not considering a delay to that date” … at a Cabinet-level, net zero still looks shaky. Why? Well, the intel I have from two Tory sources is that Rishi is in “unite” mode.
Eh? The Uxbridge result showed that, when Labour was unsure and ‘disunited’ on policy, the Tories could still win. It’s for this reason, not some genuine belief that net zero is now bad, that Sunak has been moving his government’s stance to a policy position that, like Robert The Bruce in Scotland, unites all the clans of the Conservative Party.
Why? The obvious reason to me is, perhaps, Rishi is considering an earlier election than people may have considered – as he tries to catch Labour, which beneath the surface is still a bit all over the place on policy, on the hop. Further evidence for this is that last week, I was told by an organisation (which is very close to CCHQ) that potential manifesto policies are being polled. This will likely be part of a test of ideas heading into the party conference season. I’m told net zero will continue to be supported.
Anyway… What does this mean for EVs? Well, on this, I have been reassured that no matter what happens, the 2030 deadline will remain – as there is too much investment on the line, and the Tories don’t want to destabilise their business credentials. However, as the source above says, we should expect some tinkering to the actual trajectory. Any announcement will likely be backed up by supportive statements from manufacturers.
Red corner… While the focus has been on the Tory view, for many what’s most interesting is Labour’s position. The Shadow Cabinet is not yet all on the same page about the delivery of green policy. Despite pledging £28 billion for green investment annually, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves is seemingly petrified about not being fiscally responsible, meanwhile, Shadow Climate Secretary Ed Miliband (and others) are keener to tackle cost concerns with funding.
Starmer’s view? In a Times column yesterday, Kier commented on how the debate around the 2030 ban was creating a “cultural wedge” that was “undermining the investor certainty we need to ensure a wide range of affordable vehicles with the charging infrastructure to support them.” He added that Labour’s plan “will give these manufacturers clarity, turbocharge the rollout of electric vehicles, increase the availability of charging points, and lower costs for households in the process.” Read here (paywall) or quotes in Guardian.
Next steps… While Parliament remains in recess, one imagines there will be no big moves on this front until September (or beyond) as we head toward Party Conference season. Want to chat about this further? Pop in 30 mins with me here.
Networks still locking away up to £50 per charge
Background: GeniePoint, one of the largest networks in the UK with 870+ chargers, is increasing the amount of money it takes from customers as a pre-authorisation payment.
In detail… From 16 August it’ll go from £8 to £35 for contactless payments users (and £25 for registered users). I thought this practice had gone away in the EV sector, alas, other networks are still doing this too…
Evyve… £45
InstaVolt… £30
BP Pulse… £50
Shell Recharge… £45
Fastned… £30
Source London… (apparently sits at £49?)
Questionable… How come these networks, some of which are very big, charge so much, while others like Gridserve, Connected Kerb, and Ionity charge £1? It must be possible to reduce. As an example, two years Ionity took £67 per charge, but they’ve since lowered it.
A reminder… You get charged these pre-authorised amounts every time you charge. This means, if you encounter a problem, you can get charged multiple times. Potentially locking away money for a few days.
Check-in… There may be very sensible business reasons for this. However, as Westminster actively discusses the future of EVs, is this practice something that needs standardising? At the very least, it needs to be much more transparent on websites - I found it very hard to research. This seems like the sort of story our friendly national news critics will lap up if it goes on unchecked.
Latest EV news…
🔌 ChargeUK, the trade body that represents the EV charging industry, has added new members including Wattif, Total Energies, Urban Fox, and Tesla.
⚠️ The National Federation of the Blind UK (NFBUK) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents have called on the government to address the potential ‘crisis’ of charging cables being trailed across pavements. Read more.
👍 Talking of cables, Durham County Council have launched a scheme with 30 properties to install cable gullies through pavements – allowing homeowners without a driveway to access cheaper energy tariffs without cable clutter. The channels are being installed by Kerbo Charge. Great to see. Read more.
🛒 Aldi has partnered with Shell to install new rapid chargers at 11 of its stores. This may eventually lead to similar set-ups at other Aldi stores. Read more.
💸 Onto, the EV subscription service that has been facing financial struggles, has called in Deloitte to advise it on finding new funding, or potentially for a sale. See more on Sky News, and read my previous feature here.
🕵️ There have been more stories about how China is going to use our EVs to spy on us. See here in the Telegraph (paywall). The article has 1,500 comments – so no doubt we’ll see more similar articles given that engagement.
🔋 Talking of China, following the news of Tata pledging £4 billion to invest in a UK gigafactory, the FT has revealed that the Chinese-owned battery maker, AESC, may play a key role in its development. None of the businesses involved (including AESC, Tata, and JLR) have commented on the story. Ministers have also been quiet on it. Read more (paywall).
🚀 In other battery news, after needing £10 million to keep going, Cornish Lithium has now secured £53 million in a new deal announced this morning. Read more.
🔄 A really great, positive feature on the opportunity to convert classic cars to electric in none other than the Daily Telegraph. Read here (paywall).
👾 Has artificial intelligence finally made it to EV charging? Not quite yet, but if you want a job researching it, the University of Southampton are looking.
📡 Not totally relevant to the UK, but perhaps one day… Tesla last week purchased a German firm that specialises in wireless charging technology. Read more.
🚘 One EV was registered every 60 seconds last month. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, more than 23,000 were registered in July – a huge 87.5% increase compared to the same time last year. The research group, New AutoMotive has suggested that on their current trajectory, the decreasing popularity of petrol and diesel vehicles will phase themselves out by 2023. Read more.
✌️ Really good long read in The Guardian about how EVs got dragged into cultural politics. Read more. Speaking of culture wars, this tweet by the BBC’s Theo Leggett about taking a ‘critical friend’ stance on EVs really resonated with me.
🏠 A new report by consultants McKinsey has provided some new insights on EV purchases globally, including that interest in ‘test drives at home’ is favoured by 17% of people – with dealerships only being at 35%. According to the survey, 60% of UK respondents would pay $25 for this, with just over 40% willing to part with $100. Alexa, play ‘Scarface: Push it to the Limit’. Read report.
😠 Finally, I’ve been following this story for a while – as I did my driving test there – but it all seems to be kicking off in Knaresborough (North Yorkshire) where the local council installed 10 chargers plus parking bays last year in a central car park near the high street. However, they are yet to be fully utilised, meaning shopkeepers have complained it’s forcing footfall away. Complaints are now being kicked up to the council, including talks of legal action. Seems to be an interesting test case for other councils (and supporting businesses) looking to make these sorts of local changes – it’s even got national attention.
Thanks for reading, see you in a couple of weeks!
By Tom Riley | Check my Linktree for LinkedIn, Twitter and TikTok
👍🏻 Particularly interested in the Kerbo Charge installations. Will be interesting to see if they are prepared to lock horns with Islington Council in North London who currently do not permit private householders with no off street parking space to use trailing (or overhead) cables across
pavements (public highway). I guess this is mainly a health and safety issue - but might also have something to do with the roll out of public realm charge points (street lamp sockets) which I understand Local Authorities can not only apply for grants to cover installation costs but then also take a percentage of the fees charged when the CPs are used. Cynical .... moi ... ?