18 October 2024
On Wednesday, a debate was held in response to the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee ‘EV strategy: Rapid recharge needed’ report published in February 2024, and the previous Government’s response in April 2024.
The Environment and Climate Change (ECC) Committee was appointed in 2021 to consider the environment and climate change. It is formed of 12 cross-party peers and is currently chaired by the Baroness Sheehan.
In August 2023, the ECC Committee launched an inquiry into Electric Vehicles.
The purpose of the inquiry was to examine the transition to EVs in achieving Net Zero targets, with a focus on the ZEV mandate. The inquiry explored the current barriers to the EV transition. During the inquiry, the committee gathered evidence from a range of groups, including academics, manufacturers, charge point operators, and politicians.
In February 2024, the ECC Committee published its report, “EV Strategy: Rapid Recharge Needed,” which outlined a series of recommendations to support the EV transition:
The debate started with Baroness Parminter, Chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee during the EV inquiry, outlining the main findings and asks from the Climate Change Committee’s EV report, published in February.
The first key barrier identified was access to public charging and how we need more charging points.
Baroness Parminter referenced our recent survey report in her opening speech:
“Indeed, when EVA England did a survey of electric vehicle drivers earlier this month, it identified that two-thirds of EV drivers think that in the last year there has been a big increase—a big improvement—in the public charging point infrastructure. But, as more cars come onto the road, we will need more charge points.”
The ‘EV strategy: rapid recharge needed’ report has similar asks as we do, and calls for multiple actions to increase the public charging infrastructure:
For upfront costs, Baroness Parminter commented that other European countries have retained fiscal incentives for EVs, despite the increase in EV ownership, an argument used by the previous Government to remove the grant in 2022.
Ongoing costs was also acknowledged as a key barrier, with the issue of VAT being raised.
Baroness Parminter also raised the issue of misinformation, mentioning EVA England’s findings when discussing how the benefits of EVs are not readily available compared to the misinformation:
“If you looked in the papers, you would not know that 9 out of 10 EV owners would not go back to petrol or diesel”
She called on the Government to take action on the misinformation, mentioning that the upcoming budget is an opportunity to support the EV transition.
We also welcomed Lord Birt’s comments about the usability of the public charge points, which is something that our members have also raised with us:
“take-up is low because the quality of the user interface at charge points can be completely unfit for purpose, with under-illuminated screens in direct sunlight impossible to read, touch pay not always available, and onerous and complex user instructions.”
Government response from Lord Hunt:
The debate concluded with the Government acknowledging the ECC Committee’s report, with further EV-related announcements to be made in due course.
First, we want to thank all the peers from the ECC Committee with whom we have been able to engage and who are looking at removing barriers to the decarbonisation of transport, and we look forward to discussing this further with them.
With the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement just around the corner, on the 30th October, we can soon expect a clearer picture of the Government’s concrete plans to move the EV sector forward.
A recording of the debate can be found on Parliament.tv, and you can read the full transcript here.