Despite recent news that the £1bn fund to expand EV charging networks is still not open, West Northamptonshire Council has been promised more than £400,000 in government funding to expand electric vehicle (EV) charging points. But will this funding even be spent or spent on the right things?
Considering it’s been three years since Sunak announced his plans to expand the EV charging network, it’s clear it’s not a government priority. If we’re going to start seeing effective plans being put into motion, organisations need to realise that just installing new chargers isn’t going to solve the charging infrastructure issues faced by EV drivers.
The funding should be spent on streamlining the charging process, ensuring that the current chargers are providing drivers with an effortless experience, the driver knows where they are, whether they’re free and how long the queue is. More chargers are actually redundant if this streamlined service isn’t available.
Jamil Ahmed, Distinguished Engineer at Solace and passionate EV charger expert, predicted this problem and warned it would deter people from EVs due to the poor charging infrastructure.
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“Currently, EV charging facilities are failing people, putting people off the EV option and discouraging current owners. Two out of three electric roadside chargers in the UK are broken or busy at any one time, despite EV charging locator apps notifying customers that they are available and working.”
Jamil continued, “Range anxiety has become charge anxiety, but for drivers to trust EVs they need to have reliable location information to plan their next charge. Without as-it-happens information on available charging points the entire EV scheme is doomed to fail. EV manufacturers need to understand that the success of EVs hinges on an infrastructure which allows for real-time data movement.”
