Fleets call on Government to urgently grow UK’s EV charging network

The UK Electric Fleets Coalition (UKEFC) is urging the Government to ensure the UK’s charging network can support the ambition of fleets making the switch to electric cars and vans.

Some 21 businesses have backed the group’s call to the Government by lending their support to the UKEFC’s latest policy paper. 

Taking these steps, they argue, will help maintain momentum in the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) transition. 

The UKEFC, which is run by the Climate Group, says that access to kerbside charging is a particular concern of fleets where employees do not have access to off-road parking and a home-charger.

Without the Government recognising the vital role kerbside charging infrastructure must play, UK businesses cannot invest in EVs at the speed and scale required to meet their own commitments, the report argues.  

Fleets, it says, need clarity and certainty from Government to help them as they ramp up investment in EVs.

Sandra Roling, director of transport at the Climate Group, said: “The UK has shown strong leadership on EVs, but it now needs to stay the course, and keep going further, faster.

“Our paper sets out clearly the steps the Government can take today to help businesses fully ramp up investment in EVs.” 

She added: “Businesses need clear signals of continued leadership from Government to enable their investments.

“We welcomed clarity around 2024’s zero emission vehicle mandate, but this followed the disappointing announcement that the phase-out date for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars has been pushed back from 2030 to 2035.”  

Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach, which operates more than 29,000 vans and is the second largest commercial fleet in the UK, says its engineers travelled some 280 million miles last year alone to build and maintain its network.

He explained: “We know that our fleet has a negative impact on the environment and we’re committed to switching to a zero emissions fleet by 2031. It’s the right thing to do for our customers, business and the environment. 

“We’ve purchased 2,800 electric vans and installed thousands of chargers at our engineers’ homes so far. But like other businesses, we continue to face challenges including the lack of public charging infrastructure and off-street parking which means that some of our engineers can’t charge their vans at home.

“Therefore, it’s now crucial that Government steps up to the challenge and ensures the charging network can support UK’s switch to electric”.