29 October 2021
Electric vehicle drivers from Europe and the UK on ‘The Electric Road to COP26’ are visiting leading companies that are providing solutions to help combat climate change through their innovative work with electric vehicles and charging.
Representatives of Electric Vehicle Drivers’ Associations from a range of European countries are heading to the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow to support the call for much faster transport decarbonisation globally fuelled by renewable energy.
En route they are visiting GRIDSERVE, myenergi and Britishvolt before heading to the Arnold Clark Innovation Centre in Glasgow. At COP26 they will be calling for all sales of new cars and light duty vans to have a plug by 2030 and to be 100% zero emission by 2035 at the latest in the 28 countries represented in the Global EV Drivers’ Alliance (GEVA).
The EV drivers on the Electric Road to COP26 are charging up with 100% renewable electricity at the GRIDSERVE Electric Forecourt in Essex on the morning of Friday 29 October. GRIDSERVE’s pioneering Electric Forecourts and Electric Hubs are part of GRIDSERVE’s Electric Highway, a UK-wide EV charging network powered by net zero carbon sustainable energy. GRIDSERVE is offering EV test drives for the public at its Electric Forecourt in Braintree over the weekend.
The next stop for the EV drivers is myenergi in Grimsby where they will be able to see some of the latest EV charging and zero carbon home energy solutions. myenergi designs and manufactures eco home smart tech including the best-selling electric vehicle charger, the zappi.
The European drivers will then stop at the Britishvolt battery Gigaplant site in Northumberland where construction started on 6 September on the first full-scale battery manufacturing of its kind in the country. The facility will produce low carbon, sustainable battery cells initially for electric vehicles.
Simultaneously a few miles away at the aptly-named Blyth Battery, members of the public can sign up for test drives of electric cars with Octopus Electric Vehicles and meet motoring journalist Quentin Willson who will be debunking popular EV myths with Octopus Energy CEO Fiona Howarth.
This split-site event will allow EV driver club members to park on the site in Cambois and see first-hand the sheer scale of the 93 hectare plot of land.
The drivers will experience Scottish EV charging at Forth Valley College in Falkirk before ending up in Glasgow itself at the Arnold Clark Innovation Centre.
The EV drivers are heading to COP26 in Glasgow in order to:
Transportation accounts for 24% of direct CO2 emissions from fuel combustion globally, of which road vehicles account for nearly 75%. GEVA is calling for action now to shift from vehicles burning fossil fuels to vehicles running on clean, renewable electricity. A rapid shift to zero emission electric transport is currently being achieved in many countries and can be accelerated through supportive policies.
The Electric Road to COP26 is being organised by EVA England, EVA Scotland, GEVA and local EV Groups (NEXUS). Octopus Electric Vehicles is providing EVs for driving opportunities at some of the locations on the route. Planet Mark’s Zero Carbon Tour Bus will join the Electric Road in Glasgow.
“This is a hugely exciting moment in time, we are clearly at the tipping point of EV adoption. The tectonic plates are shifting. The road trip highlights the sheer excitement around both COP26 and the overall energy transition. It also flags some of the key names leading the UK on the roadmap to a sustainable future.” Quentin Willson, motoring journalist.
EVA England offers a voice for EV drivers in England. People can follow updates about the Electric Road to COP26 and share the message about the need for faster global transport decarbonisation via the EVA England website and on Twitter @EVAEOfficial.
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To find out more about the Electric Road to COP26, to arrange interviews or to attend the events, please contact:
Warren Philips, EVA England Board Member and Media Liaison
T: 07988 502527
E: media@evaengland.org.uk
W: www.evaengland.org.uk
Paul Clarke, Automotive Comms
T: 078 66 77 00 29
E: paul.clarke@automotivecomms.co.uk
Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) England was established in June 2020 to offer a voice, services and representation to current and prospective electric vehicle drivers in England. EVA England is a non-profit community interest company founded by passionate drivers inspired by the benefits of electric driving and concerned by the health and climate impacts of the use of petrol and diesel cars and vans.
EVA Scotland’s ambition is to be the voice of the electric vehicle movement all over Scotland, supporting the electrification of all forms of transport.
The Global EV Alliance represents EV Driver Associations from the countries of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain (Catalonia), Croatia, Denmark, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, The Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
The EV Groups Nexus is an association of independent electric car clubs from around the UK and Ireland. It’s the place to go if you are looking for a local club in your area or want to set one up, and is the place for club owners to find support and cooperation with other groups both nationwide and local.
GRIDSERVE® is transforming the charging experience and accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, with the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, a UK-wide sustainable energy powered EV Charging network for everyone, that includes GRIDSERVE’s pioneering Electric Forecourts® and Electric Hubs, catalysed by its Electric Vehicle Solutions leasing business. The GRIDSERVE Electric Highway network delivers the fastest and most reliable charging for all types of electric vehicles, with net zero carbon sustainable energy and is designed to deliver a fantastic customer experience.
myenergi was founded in 2016 in the UK by a team of experts, activists and inventors. They identified a gap in the market whereby solar power could be used more sustainably at home and set about creating a range of versatile eco home smart tech products including the best-selling electric vehicle charger, the zappi. Now a household name, myenergi has become recognised for delivering innovative solutions to businesses, building developers, homeowners and electric vehicles drivers who are looking to reduce their carbon footprint, increasing adoption of renewable energy methods, and enabling a more sustainable lifestyle.
Britishvolt is Britain’s foremost investor in battery cell technologies. It is dedicated to supporting the future of electrified transportation and sustainable energy storage, producing best-in-class, responsibly-manufactured, low-carbon, battery cell technologies. Britishvolt’s aim is to establish the UK as the leading force in battery technology, and associated ecosystem infrastructure. It is working with leading strategic partners/suppliers to achieve this, as it is of paramount importance to the future of the UK automotive industry and the overall economic and industrial health of the country. The company was recently valued at +$1b, making it one of the fastest growing Unicorns in UK plc history. Britishvolt believes that the UK is the right place for its investments because of the strength of its automotive and energy industry alongside its expertise and history in industrial and academic battery research and development. Quarter four 2023 has been targeted as the start of production in Britain’s first Gigaplant situated on the old coal stocking yard of the former Blyth Power Station in Cambois, Northumberland.
Octopus Electric Vehicles believes that driving shouldn’t cost the earth. Octopus enables employees to save up to 40% on the cost of driving electric through Electric Dreams, a salary sacrifice scheme, which is free to set-up and easy to run. Octopus doesn’t just provide awesome EVs – you also get a free home charge point installed, plus free charge at home or complimentary miles of free public charging for when you’re on the road. All of this is from a company rated 5 stars for customer service. Octopus Electric Vehicles will be supporting The Electric Road to COP26 by providing test drives for attendees and help them understand how an electric lifestyle can work for them.