This news is classified in: Sustainable Energy Clean Transport
Jul 30, 2021
Seven major British companies, including the operators of some of the largest commercial vehicle fleets in the country – bp, BT, Direct Line Group, Royal Mail, ScottishPower, Severn Trent and Tesco – have come together to work to help accelerate the mass adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) across the UK.
The UK’s ambitions for electrification of road transport are world-leading and, in a report published today, the seven companies – working together as the Electric Vehicle Fleet Accelerator (EVFA) – have outlined a series of urgent actions needed from both industry and Government to deliver the targets.
The EVFA grew from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Build Back Better Business Council. It brings together CEOs of companies that own and operate some of the largest van fleets in the UK and companies involved with infrastructure, EV charging, retail and insurance and repair.
Focus on Application, Connector Type, Power Output, Installation Type, and Country-Level Analysis
Download free sample pagesToday’s report details how supportive Government policy could help unlock private sector investment of £50 billion in infrastructure and in electric fleets in the UK over the next five years.
If the Government delivers on this agenda, the EVFA members have committed to converting the fleets involved to electric vehicles by 2030 and to buying British - buying 70,000 British-built vans by 2030 or sooner.
They hope this clear statement of intent will act as a stimulus and help spur the investment decisions needed to develop EV van manufacturing in the UK.
Green fleets for clean streets
The EVFA members believe this electrification of fleet vehicles can have much wider benefits beyond their businesses, catalysing the mass adoption of EVs in the UK.
The upgrading of the grid and expanding national charging networks that will result will build wider confidence in using EVs. And, as fleets and businesses account for 60% of new vehicle registrations, their electrification will also build and drive an active second-hand market – the main vehicle market for most consumers.
If the infrastructure and frameworks are put in place to enable this, the companies believe wider customer demand can shift towards EVs sooner than is currently expected.