July 2020
2035 combustion engine ban
BVRLA have previously held a series of workshops on decarbonisation to get the industry’s view on the feasibility of the UK meeting the 2035 target set out by the government on the ban of petrol and diesel vehicles. This helps to address the barriers observed for fleet and how we can work together to overcome them.
A consultation had been published which ended on 31st July giving the industry their last chance to submit views and address the issues the fleet industry might have with meeting this target.
June 2020
Electric – rapid chargers
Following the announcement in the Budget of a £500 million investment for the Rapid Charging Fund, details have now been released on how the money will be invested:
- 2023 – target to have at least 6 rapid chargers (150-350kw) at motorway services in England. Some larger sites to have 10-12. This would deliver 120-145 miles of range in just 15 minutes
- 2030 – plan to have around 2,500 high powered chargers across England’s motorways and A-roads
- 2035 – this is to increase to 6,000 chargers. Overall aim to is to support early adoption of electric vehicles and remove range anxiety concerns for drivers on long journeys
Charge points will be easy to use and hassle-free:
- Able to pay using a credit or debit card
- Information about charge point availability readily available to public
- 99% availability assured
- Supported by 24/7 customer care to handle technical issues
- Sites will have charge points that support all types of electric vehicle connections
- Clear pricing information will be available in pence per kilowatt hour
May 2020
EV charging boost
The government plans to build 2,500 high-performance charge points by 2030 and 6,000 new EV charging points across A-roads and motorways by 2035 to support the adoption of EVs.
The investment, part of a £500m commitment announced in the March budget, will include 150 350kW rapid chargers providing a range of up to 140 miles in around 15 minutes, and at least six rapid, open-access charge points at service stations by 2023.
April 2020
The forecourt of the future
As drivers switch to alternatively fuelled vehicles, the forecourt of the future is likely to look pretty different. But we might not have too long to wait, this year the first all EV charging forecourt will open in Braintree, Essex.
Gridserve, the company behind the new site, say that it will have space to charge 24 EVs at once with superchargers that can charge vehicles within 20-30 minutes.
March 2020
Budget announcements
- £403m support for the Plug-in Car Grant which extends into 2022-23
- £129.5m support for Plug-in Grants for vans, taxis and motorcycles to extend into 2022-23
- From 12th March 2020, the Plug-in Car Grant is reducing to £3,000 from £3,500. Cars costing over £50,000 will no longer be eligible for the grant. There will be no change for vans. These changes allow the funding to go further and allow more drivers to benefit from making the switch for longer
- Electric vehicles (EVs) will be exempt from the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) ‘expensive car supplement’ from 1st April 2020
- From April 2021, the government will apply a 0% rate of tax for zero-emission vans within the van benefit charge
- £500m over the next 5 years to support fast-charging hubs for EVs, ensuring drivers will never be more than 30 miles away from a charging point
- Rapid Charging Fund will be rolled out to help businesses with the cost of connecting fast charge points to the electricity grid. An electric vehicle charging infrastructure review will be conducted