By Johnny Sharp

The environmental benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) compared to internal combustion engine-based (ICE) vehicles are well-documented. But if targets such as net zero are to remain within reach, the country’s transport network will need to evolve at speed to meet the continuing upsurge in EV adoption.

Engineering giants Mott MacDonald have been tasked with preparing the EVCI (Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure) for Wales and their Senior Transport Planner, Mark Harrison (pictured), explains how the work being done there can offer a strong example to the rest of the UK. 

Inevitably, the biggest obstacle to the rollout of EVCI will be funding. But Harrison is optimistic – for the most part. 

“In coming years, investment in billions of pounds of infrastructure will be across the UK. Investments are currently being made through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund in England, and the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund (EVIF) in Scotland.”

However, he points out that private money will also be key: “Not all of the funding is coming from the public purse. A significant portion of it is actually coming through leveraging private funding. So, getting acceptability and the buy-in from the public will make it more appealing to the transport industry and private operators.”

Winning hearts and minds

Funding of electric vehicle adoption is likely to accelerate the switch to electric which will, in turn, encourage investment in infrastructure. 

Disincentives remain, but with more and more used models now available, and production costs expected to fall as EVs rise in popularity, aided by expanding government incentives, such barriers look set to get lower in the coming years. 

Such deterrents include the need for more new charging points as anxiety among motorists who fear they could end up stranded without charge in an electric car with limited range remains in place. Concerns about the carbon footprint of EV batteries are another cause célèbre for sceptics. 

“We’re a young sector and we’re still finding ways of more efficiently recycling and reusing batteries,” Harrison admits. “We now need to clean up the production end of EVs as well, as there’s a real opportunity there to reduce their carbon footprint even further.”

While EVCI is fairly well-established in urban areas across the UK, rural areas are much less reliably served, as Harrison acknowledges. 

“Grid connectivity is often a challenge because the grid is overloaded and not yet in a position to support the full roll-out of EV charging. But that gives us the opportunity to look at alternative technologies and off-grid solutions.” 

He points to a previous example of a charge point set up in the Inner Hebrides off the northwest coast of Scotland: “A single wind turbine provides the energy for an individual charge point location. So, there's then no need to have grid connectivity in remote locations, because they already produce electricity sustainably.”

The future of EVs – not just about road vehicles

Currently, infrastructure for EVs is geared around stationary roadside charging points. But Harrison sees the possibility of that eventually changing. 

“If you've got something that enables you to charge your vehicle while you're moving, for instance, there may be a need to change how we design and install and maintain roads, but at the minute, that technology isn't there so it’s just speculation.

“One area that doesn’t often get mentioned is the rail network. At the moment, a significant portion of the UK rail network, and particularly in Wales, isn't electrified, and there is still a heavy reliance on rail for movement of people and freight.

“So there needs to be an emphasis on cleaning up the rail network. And as with roads, it doesn't necessarily have to be about going electric. If we could find effective alternative fuels, we wouldn’t have to go out and electrify the whole rail network everywhere across rural and remote locations. It could just be rolling stock,” concludes Harrison.

Read more: Ensuring a Just Transition to Net Zero policy brief from CIHT.

CIHT are looking at the issues associated with rolling out EV infrastructure later this year. If you want to find out more, please contact e: technical@ciht.org.uk.

Image: an electric vehicle driving on a rural road; credit: Shutterstock.