The transition to electric vehicles (EV) is central to achieving net zero goals. For the UK market in particular, these goals are ambitious. The date to phase out the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars was recently pushed back to 2035, but with a newly appointed government in place since July the original 2030 deadline is set to be restored.

While no mention was made of this in the King’s Speech during the recent state opening of Parliament, which sets out the government’s legislative plans, we can expect to see more details published soon.

This political ‘flip-flopping’ on dates has not been warmly welcomed by the automotive industry. In pushing the date back, the previous government effectively put the brakes on sales of EVs as buyers have second thoughts on whether to buy now or later. According to reports, the number of EVs being bought by private buyers is “in sharp decline” with the majority via fleet ownership or company car schemes.

For government, and for automotive companies, now is a critical time to get sales back on track – and on track means the 22% target set for manufacturers by the UK zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate. This rises to 28% in 2025 and so on. Of course, we may see changes as a new Labour government gets to grips with what’s happening in the sector.

The news is not all bad. The UK is on course to become the single largest electric car market in Europe, just shy of Germany, which has also recorded declines in recent months according to The Times.

While we wait for the spark to reignite the market and set it on a course for consistent growth, there are other ways a new government can help advance and accelerate this. 

The first thing is to create certainty – for automotive OEMs, charge point operators, planners and the wider EV market – not to mention car buyers. A deadline of five or 10 years may seem some way off, but it’s a journey and all of these inter-dependent parts of the EV supply chain need to put plans in place now in order to get there.

The OpenADR Alliance is already on that journey with a membership that is increasingly made up of organizations involved in EVs and EV charging infrastructure. We are seeing a steady stream of new members becoming part of our global ecosystem, with innovative new businesses and business models that support this market.

I’m encouraged to see this momentum and delighted that we are playing an important role, with utilities, automotive manufacturers, charging management companies, payment systems providers and more working together to address the challenges and deliver on the potential for market growth.

We recently brought together two of our newer members, Wevo Energy and OpenRoad Technologies, to discuss issues around EV charging optimisation. Part of a series of OpenADR Alliance webinars, the New Frontiers in EV Charging was well attended and is now available on demand for those who missed it.

We will be taking a closer look at some of the issues raised in this session over the coming weeks, but the main points included innovative methodologies for charge installation, intelligent power allocation based on demand, and the potential for significantly reducing ownership costs through optimized EV charging strategies.

Open Road Technologies also outlined its development of a modular fast charging platform to enhance nationwide charging networks.

A lively Q&A session also covered technical specifications and user satisfaction measures, as well as the role of OpenADR in delivering EV charging models.

While we wait to see what happens in terms of EV development in the UK and Europe, our New Frontiers in EV Charging webinar is a good place to start. To access the recording and presentation slides, visit our OpenADR Alliance webinar series page.