INFRASTRUCTURE
Work in progress
The number of EVs on the road continues to increase, which means the demand for chargers does too. We investigate how the rollout of networks is progressing around the UK. By John Challen
Despite their growing popularity, electric vehicles still bring out concerns from some drivers. While the issue of range anxiety has receded over time – a combination of cars with bigger batteries providing more miles between charges – the biggest bugbear seems to be infrastructure.
It’s fair to say that the push on public charger locations – including the all-important hubs that serve lots of drivers at one time – didn’t really start in earnest until the EV-buying train had left the station. Before that, demand probably matched supply of chargers and there weren’t the issues with availability and reliability that have been reported by drivers over recent months.
Before that – in March 2022 – the government revealed its UK EV infrastructure strategy that was designed to help provide a fit-for-purpose vehicle charging network ahead of its 2030 deadline for the end of new petrol and diesel vehicle sales. Just over a year later, ChargeUK – a trade body comprising 18 charge point operators (CPOs) – was established. The members committed to investment of more than £6bn in the installation and operation of chargers around the country and vowed to double the size of the network throughout 2023.
“The formation of ChargeUK is an exciting day and is a demonstration of the electric vehicle charging industry’s growing size and importance to the UK economy,” said Ian Johnston, chair of ChargeUK and CEO of Osprey Charging Network, at the time. “Together we are investing billions of pounds to get more charge points in the ground right across the country. These numbers reinforce our commitment to the UK’s Net Zero future.
“We will continue to be a proactive partner to Government as we deliver a world-class charging infrastructure, giving the nation’s drivers confidence to transition to electric vehicles,” he added.
Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus EV, added: “Charging infrastructure is the key to the EV revolution, and it's great to see government and industry come together to supercharge the roll out. The Government has set the direction and investors are pumping in much needed capital. With over 23,000 public charging locations and rapid chargers almost doubling every year, UK drivers can enjoy the benefits of EVs: tech-on-wheels with low-cost fuel. The UK has a real chance to charge ahead in the race to zero emissions transport.”
“Charging infrastructure is the key to the EV revolution, and it's great to see government and industry come together to supercharge the roll out”
Fiona Howarth, CEO, Octopus
Big plans from Instavolt
InstaVolt has submitted plans to build the UK’s largest fully open hub of ultra-rapid chargers inside the M25 at Syon Park in Brentford. The deal will go a long way towards the company meeting its target of installing 10,000 rapid chargers by 2030.
Accessible from the A4 and M4, the Syon Park Estate is situated along a key commuter route, meaning that InstaVolt’s new hub will provide rapid charging for routes into and out of London. InstaVolt operates an open charger model, allowing any EV owner to use the charging points on a pay-as-you-go basis.
“The location of Syon Park is pivotal to engaging those who live on the commuter belt and providing them with an option to charge at a site where they themselves can switch off and recharge,” says Adrian Keen, CEO of InstaVolt.
“Being able to launch a large hub with reliable charging and access to amenities Syon Park offers, is key to encouraging a change of sentiment when it comes to charging in the UK. We want EV drivers to see charging as an opportunity to rest, take in nature, or stop for a bite to eat," he continues.
Best in the West
Cornwall Services now offers a charging solution that combines the latest innovations in batteries and solar energy to supplement the existing grid connection to deliver ten times the charging power, thanks to Gridserve.
The two companies have opened a 12-charger Electric Super Hub on the A30, complete with a state-of-the-art solar canopy. Six High Power 350kW-capable chargers provide a quick top up for people passing through on their journeys, along with six Low Power AC chargers for overnight guests at the onsite hotel.
Using a combination of the existing 100kW grid connection, a lithium-ion battery, solar energy and the latest software, the two legacy 50kW chargers that were previously installed at the site have been replaced with 12 state-of-the-art new chargers. While the site is now operational with chargers that can provide up to 350kW of power, chargers will be limited from providing full power while a testing and optimisation phase is worked through, which is expected to take several months.
Cornwall Services + Gridserve have opened a 12-charger Electric Super Hub on the A30, complete with a state-of-the-art solar canopy. Six High Power 350kW-capable chargers provide a quick top up for people passing through on their journeys, along with six Low Power AC chargers for overnight guests at the onsite hotel.
Cornwall Services + Gridserve have opened a 12-charger Electric Super Hub on the A30, complete with a state-of-the-art solar canopy. Six High Power 350kW-capable chargers provide a quick top up for people passing through on their journeys, along with six Low Power AC chargers for overnight guests at the onsite hotel.
In anticipation of future demand, Gridserve has submitted planning permission to build a solar farm adjacent to Cornwall Services. This solar farm has been designed to be directly connected to the battery and chargers, to deliver up to four million zero carbon miles energy directly into electric vehicles every year.
Gridserve usage data shows a close correlation between the profile of solar energy generation and energy consumption across the chargers over the course of a day. This makes solar an excellent additional energy source to support the grid connection. There is also a strong seasonal correlation for Cornwall, as it is a popular summertime getaway so will experience higher visits during the time solar energy production is also naturally higher.
“We are delighted to deliver a UK-first innovation to Cornwall Services and its customers. We hope the innovative technology we have deployed at this location can also become a blueprint for others, where larger grid connections will be too slow to deliver to keep up with the demand that the rapid transition to electric vehicles presents,” says Toddington Harper, CEO of Gridserve. “Whilst we are still in the initial stages of the project, the Electric Super Hub has already proven itself through the Easter and early May Bank holidays charging over 100 cars a day during busy periods. We are also excited for what is still to come at Cornwall Services as we continue to refine and optimise the system over time to deliver the best possible charging experience, powered by sustainable zero carbon energy.”
“We are delighted to deliver a UK-first innovation to Cornwall Services and its customers. We hope the innovative technology we have deployed at this location can also become a blueprint for others”
Toddington Harper, CEO, Gridserve
“There are now many privately funded charge point operators (CPO) bidding for local authority tenders using cheaper charge points so they can offer authorities greater revenue share which scores higher to win the tender”
Tenders and targets
Organisations can install reliable charge points where their fleet parks for long periods, such as depots, staff car parks and employees homes. There are several government grants for such circumstances:
The vast majority of charging can take place at or near homes, or at destinations such as places of work, retail, hospitality destinations and even public or train car parks, when the driver is doing something else and vehicles can be parked for long periods. For longer journeys or when they don’t have their own private charge points, fleets must rely on public charging. For on-route a growing number of rapid/super rapid charging stations, can extend driver's range in minutes.
As of May 2023 there were over 70,000 public connectors in the UK and the government is offering grants for local authorities to help get to a target of 300,000 by 2030. However, many of these are unreliable and we believe the current method of procurement is impeding local authorities from selecting better solutions. There are now many privately funded charge point operators (CPO) bidding for local authority tenders using cheaper charge points so they can offer authorities greater revenue share which scores higher to win the tender. This is obviously counter productive and doesn’t take into consideration the impact poor charging experiences will have on the longer term adoption and acceptance of EV amongst drivers.
It would be far better to score CPOs who offer better solutions which offer greater reliability, accessibility and speed. Further, when authorities favour higher revenue share, ultimately the driver will be paying more, and for a poorer experience. One area fully privately funded CPOs do need financial assistance is when a connection to the grid is expensive. Otherwise, all they need are a choice of sites, balancing high and low utilisation and long contract terms to enable a return on the investment and running costs.
If authorities open their sites to the best bidders, as is the preferred method in Europe, then we will meet the 300,000 target quickly with quality charge points using minimal public money.
Martin Hale, managing director, Qwello
Tenders and targets
Organisations can install reliable charge points where their fleet parks for long periods, such as depots, staff car parks and employees homes. There are several government grants for such circumstances:
The vast majority of charging can take place at or near homes, or at destinations such as places of work, retail, hospitality destinations and even public or train car parks, when the driver is doing something else and vehicles can be parked for long periods. For longer journeys or when they don’t have their own private charge points, fleets must rely on public charging. For on-route a growing number of rapid/super rapid charging stations, can extend driver's range in minutes.
As of May 2023 there were over 70,000 public connectors in the UK and the government is offering grants for local authorities to help get to a target of 300,000 by 2030. However, many of these are unreliable and we believe the current method of procurement is impeding local authorities from selecting better solutions. There are now many privately funded charge point operators (CPO) bidding for local authority tenders using cheaper charge points so they can offer authorities greater revenue share which scores higher to win the tender. This is obviously counter productive and doesn’t take into consideration the impact poor charging experiences will have on the longer term adoption and acceptance of EV amongst drivers.
It would be far better to score CPOs who offer better solutions which offer greater reliability, accessibility and speed. Further, when authorities favour higher revenue share, ultimately the driver will be paying more, and for a poorer experience. One area fully privately funded CPOs do need financial assistance is when a connection to the grid is expensive. Otherwise, all they need are a choice of sites, balancing high and low utilisation and long contract terms to enable a return on the investment and running costs.
If authorities open their sites to the best bidders, as is the preferred method in Europe, then we will meet the 300,000 target quickly with quality charge points using minimal public money.
“There are now many privately funded charge point operators (CPO) bidding for local authority tenders using cheaper charge points so they can offer authorities greater revenue share which scores higher to win the tender”
Martin Hale, managing director, Qwello
Matthew Lumsden, CEO, Connected Energy |
BESS way forward
As companies increase the numbers of EVs on their fleets, clearly the charging infrastructure must expand to keep up. However, this brings additional costs over and above the investment required for the new charge points. If fleets have return to base vehicles, or an expectation that EVs can charge on site during work hours, then they should consider whether a battery energy storage system (BESS) can be a more cost-effective way of providing the additional energy required.
A BESS is typically a large number of batteries integrated into a shipping container and managed by a sophisticated management system. In practical terms, the BESS acts as an energy reservoir – store energy in it during quieter times of the day or night, then use it during peak periods.
BESSs are increasingly used to help support fleet electrification by giving sites with grid connection constraints the additional capacity to power more EV chargers. Here are five ways that they can help:
1.
Avoiding surcharges
Most commercial premises are on a shared grid connection, and each site’s usage is capped to ensure everyone gets a fair share. This is known as a maximum import capacity (MIC) – it is measured in kVA so is sometimes also called a kVA allowance. If adding more EV chargers takes businesses over your MIC, surcharges might be added to energy bills. A BESS can bridge that gap, providing the power a charger needs while ensuring things remain within the limits of your kVA allowance.
2.
Postponing DNO upgrades
If a site’s grid connection does not have sufficient capacity to support all the charging infrastructure required, it might be advisable to talk to the company who manages the local grid – the distribution network operator (DNO) – about upgrading the infrastructure.
In some areas, a DNO upgrade can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds, making some fleet electrification projects financially unviable. It can also take months as DNOs are facing unprecedented demand for upgrades.
3.
Optimising solar
A concurrent trend with fleet electrification is the decarbonisation of buildings and one technology that can support both is solar. Rooftop solar arrays can power buildings during the day and also provide power to those plugging in their EVs in the car park. But what if a fleet is return-to-base and you need to charge it at night? A BESS can store surplus solar energy during daylight hours so that it can be used to support night-time EV charging.
4.
Cutting costs and carbon
Even if a business doesn’t have solar yet, a BESS can help meet ESG targets on decarbonisation as well as corporate objectives on reducing expenditure on energy.
A BESS can be programmed to buy and store energy when it is at its cheapest, or when green energy is most abundant on the grid. This can provide a better handle on fleet ‘fuel’ costs and on a fleet’s carbon footprint
5.
Building a smart microgrid
The inbuilt intelligence of a BESS enables fleets to integrate and combine technologies such as solar, energy management systems and EV charging to create a smart microgrid. Fleet managers are not energy experts, but a BESS can do the heavy lifting for you.
By creating a smart microgrid energy resilience can be improved, creating an efficient, self-sufficient energy ecosystem that will help not just with this step in a transition to EVs, but also the future steps needed to take beyond that.
