By Adrian Keen, CEO of InstaVolt

InstaVolt CEO Adrian Keen

Globally, the combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution is associated with 7 million premature deaths annually. In the UK alone, air pollution is estimated to cause 40,000 premature deaths each year.

With transport producing 24% of the UK’s total emissions in 2020 – the majority (91%) of emissions coming from road vehicles – it’s difficult to comprehend how there is any room for faltering on regimes which work to directly combat these figures. Last month’s ruling that London’s ULEZ expansion is lawful is imperative to reducing these figures, a feat which the Department of Transport insists is possible by up to 60% with a concerted effort to mitigate traditional use of ICE cars.

Since the implementation of the initial ULEZ in London in 2019 and its subsequent expansions, the positive impacts have been considerable. In just four years we’ve seen a significant reduction in the levels of harmful air pollution in London – a 23% reduction, to be precise – by reducing nitrogen oxide emissions from road traffic by 13,500 tonnes across London. The biggest contributor of this reduction percentage occurred in TfL busses, showing the great importance of public transport in this transition. Comparing this region with the rest of the country currently without ULEZ demonstrates the regime’s success in action: with London showing a reduction of pollution five times faster than the rest of the UK.

It’s clear that the ruling of the ULEZ expansion to encompass all London boroughs – and in future, broader parts of the UK – is critical to protecting the health and welfare of our country. It’s also integral to the UK’s transition to electric as part of the wider net zero by 2050 regime. Electric cars are fully exempt from paying the ULEZ charge, saving drivers £12.50 daily and this incentive is clearly working in practice; as well as the significant reduction in emissions, the ULEZ zones have demonstrated a reduction in the number of older, more pollution vehicles, with a depletion of the number of non-compliant vehicles detected in the zone by almost 60%.

There has been an astonishing number of mixed messages from the Government in the last week of July, with rumblings of proposals made to extend the 2030 ICE ban deadline and a faltering on support of ULEZ. The vote of approval to expand ULEZ was needed to keep the transition on track and is an opportunity that will create a seismic shift in our country’s emissions – and it’s not to be taken lightly.

There’s an undeniable negative sentiment towards the EV industry currently, with relentless scare mongering about the capability of a successful EV transition, even though both the investment and appetite are there from industry to ensure it. Our recent partnership with Allstar, the UK’s leading fuel, EV and business expense payment company, demonstrates the commitment companies are making to electrify their business fleets. The negative media rhetoric is held up to a degree by the lack of consistency from the Government, with pledges to push back, or even overturn the ICE ban, openly showing a lack of commitment to climate goals, now being dubbed as ‘unachievable’, and instilling uncertainty into consumers.

InstaVolt is investing heavily in the charging network across the country and specifically within ULEZ expansion zones, forming infrastructure to meet the needs of EV users, with plans in progress for a charging super hub at Syon Park in Brentford, among multiple other developments. With 1,200 existing rapid chargers and an aim to install 10,000 by 2030, the number of our fully open, active chargers is increasing at a rate faster than EV adoption. We’re working tirelessly to fill consumers with the confidence they require to make the switch to EV. The continuous negative sentiment causes the industry’s hard work to be overlooked.

It’s important that we push aside our prejudices and understand that both the expansion of ULEZ and the 2030 ICE ban are not just political schemes that should be cause for debate in media without action, but plans that directly impact our country’s health and environment. The expansion is a big change, but with it will come significant positive impacts to both the health and wellbeing of our future generations.