Venson Automotive Solutions has called on the Government to double its 2030 charge point target to ensure fleets can successfully and confidently transition to electrification.   

Venson has urged the Government to upscale its goal to at least 600,000 charge points to avoid concerns of a postcode lottery on charging capabilities and costs

In its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy revealed last month, the Government pledged to build a network of 300,000 chargers in the UK by the end of the decade – a tenfold growth in the country’s public charging infrastructure.

But Venson Automotive Solutions has urged decision-makers in Parliament to upscale the Government’s goal to at least 600,000 charge points to avoid concerns of a postcode lottery on charging capabilities and costs.

Alison Bell, operations director, said: “The 300,000 charge point target assumes that people will adopt regular home and workplace charging and lower their average mileage. However, what the Government hasn’t considered is the differing needs of company car and commercial vehicle drivers, compared to private drivers, nor does it consider the relatively inefficient charging behaviours of many drivers, fleet or otherwise.

“Several fleet management factors, including accommodating shift workers, planning the number and length of daily journeys for drivers and ‘on the job’ parking requirements, give us grave concerns that Government’s target is massively underestimated.”

However, Venson did welcome other parts of the strategy, including assurances of greater cohesion between central government and local authorities, with different funding streams for EV infrastructure to be consolidated as much as possible to ensure clarity, simplicity and efficiency for local authorities.

A Venson survey of UK motorists held late last year saw 43% back local authorities being responsible for planning and delivering an EV infrastructure – and the new EV Infrastructure Strategy includes a new £450m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund for local authorities to use to expand charge point provision in their area, as part of a £500m investment in charge points.

“The £500m local infrastructure support programme designed to help deploy local charge points at scale across the country should go some way to helping meet the diversity of fleet needs,” continued Alison Bell.

“Not only will the funds help unlock financial barriers to deployment experienced by many local authorities, but they will also support a programme which directs much needed expertise to work in partnership with them. This will be a massive help in ensuring authorities grasp what charging points are needed where and consider not just local residents, but the fleet sector which significantly relies on local authority charging points too.”

Bell finished: “The Government says that getting fleets to adopt EV is vital, yet if it sets out to achieve its minimum target of charge points by 2030, it risks decelerating fleet procurement of EVs.”