There has been some “rapid” changes to the EV market and infrastructure over the past few months and some discussions we’ve had with various stakeholders at the Elmsbrook Exemplar Site (where mode are retained as travel plan co-ordinator) has identified that there is a real step change in the EV market.

Over the course of 2020, there are in the order of 20 new EV vehicle launches coming out and these will include all of the mainstream car manufacturers, such as:

  • Volvo:Polestar & XC40i
  • Volkswagen: ID.3 & ID Cross
  • BMW: iX3
  • Ford: XX
  • Mercedes: EQC
  • Audi: e-tron SUV
  • Aston MArtin RapidE
  • Honda: Urban EV

It is likely that as a result of the increase in choice, this will kick-start the process of the EV’s becoming more affordable (except Tesla obviously!) and fill fill Gentral Governments ‘Road to Zero’ strategy:

OLEV Grants

At the moment owners are able to apply for a grant to offset the cost of installing home charging points. However, these have started to become difficult to obtain. New developments that do not have driveways attached to the dwelling may not be eligible. This will increase the cost of installing a home charging unit by £500, taking the cost for a home charging point to almost £1,000 (installed and using a smart meter).

Smart Charging 

This has become a key focus of delivery, given the National Grid’s concerns about supply to charge vehicles. At the Elmsbrook exemplar site (which mode are currently closely working on) the default home charging unit is now a smart charging unit, which works with the solar panels on the houses and balances when the cars are charging with overall electricity demands in the houses.

We are also aware of the Chademo, which allows consumers to travel around the country (or Europe) using the fast charging network = A  600 miles round-trip to Cornwall for £50 using this product.