UK's EV Charging Ecosystem: A tough road ahead?

As the UK inches toward banning petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030, it is anticipated that around 18 million battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will replace the combustible engine vehicles. The EV Charging ecosystem will require an accompanying upgrade to accommodate the rise. However, in a report, UK100 mentions that at the current growth rate of public charging points, only one-quarter (76,849) of the public charging points needed to meet the expected demand (325,000) will be installed by 2032. A cause for worry. This policy brief will dive into the current issues faced by the charging industry, the way forward and what it means for us. Electricity: Grid Challenges and fluctuating prices

Generating more electricity through the National Grid has always been the central discourse around infrastructure capability for electric vehicles (EV). The main challenge, however, lies in maintaining system stability while distributing energy at the street level. Electricity from the grid is stepped down to substations for distribution at homes and businesses at acceptable voltage levels. In the future, every household installing a 7kwh EV charger could result in too much demand for high levels of electricity at peak levels, causing frequent issues of electrical overload. Further, a consistency in house wiring will need to be checked. There are three earthing configurations, and experts have flagged a concern if all other home appliances can function simultaneously while your car gets charged. Finally, the increase in energy prices in the UK will make EV charging more expensive which may potentially slow down the EV transition. Although certain technological developments solve specific issues, their adoption rate will be slow, attributed to a higher cost. Smart chargers that regulate car charging have been introduced to solve the issue of grid overload. Out of convenience and habit, people usually leave their chargers switched on overnight. Smart chargers can regulate the time, decrease the load on the grid, and provide economic savings especially when there exists differential energy pricing at the night. Another innovation in charging is using a bidirectional battery that can generate income for the EV Vehicle owner and balance the local and regional energy needs4 . Lithium-Ion Batters: Mining and recycling Batteries account for around 30-40% of the EV cost. Although the prices of EV batteries have decreased in the last few years, the shortage of lithium and other rare metals can reverse this trend. Forecasts predict a 3x increase6 in lithium demand by 2025 itself. One potential solution to the lithium shortage and being less dependent on eastern markets like China is battery recycling for reusing lithium. A battery recycling plant also becomes vital for the safe disposal of EV batteries as we move towards net zero. Currently, the UK has only one battery recycling plant, and pressure from civil society can prove to be important for generating a shift towards this policy.

Charging network: Uneven distribution

There are eight times as many electric vehicle charging points in London as in the North-East UK. Installation of electric vehicle charging stations in rural boroughs is far more expensive than in more populated areas. Although there is a consensus on the need for more charging stations, the placement of these charging stations poses a challenge. Also, the chargers that have already been installed are not necessarily in the right place. Hence, a more nuanced, evidence-based infrastructure strategy is the need for the hour, especially to eliminate the "range anxiety" among EV buyers. The path to EVs dominating our roads is well on its way. However, the pandemic and infrastructural bottlenecks have slowed down progress on a number of fronts. It is important that one should be aware of the shortcomings and use them as a discourse to generate government action toward a solution. Citizens, lobby groups, researchers and professionals in the industry can support and influence the existing discourse by organising conferences, collaborating for research papers and using their influence to prod the government and industry policies in the right direction. This brief can be used as a starting point to further the discussion and attempt to find innovative solutions through their research and professional understanding.

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Apart from author's personal research the below mentioned sources were used:

1. https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/funding-warning-amid-prediction-black-22009511

2. https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/funding-warning-amid-prediction-black-22009511

3. https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/erection-procedures-of-earthing-arrangements-tnc-tn-s-tnc-sand-tt

4. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-14/charging-both-ways

5. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-16/why-an-electric-car-battery-is-so-expensive-fornow-quicktake

6. https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/articles/lithium-supply-is-set-to-triple-by-2025-will-itbe-enough

7. https://airqualitynews.com/2021/10/08/uks-first-ever-ev-battery-recycling-facility-to-open-in-sheffield/

8. https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/funding-warning-amid-prediction-black-22009511

9. https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7480/CBP-7480.pdf