Written evidence from Jean Beacon (ELV0059) 

Submission of evidence from Jean Bacon [as an individual concerned that practicalities of the 2030/35 deadlines are being overlooked].

Numbers relate to the questions in the ‘Call for Evidence’ document.

1 Main obstacles are: prices of new EVs, lack of small and cheaper EVs, availability of working public chargers, alleged short life of batteries and thus a small second-hand market because some cars have integral batteries, batteries easily damaged [& so car often written off] in accidents, battery discharge whilst vehicles not in use, insufficient trained engineers and technicians for electricity infrastructure and the cars themselves, cost of home chargers, insufficient electric power from grid.  Ultimately there will be a problem of where to put the short-lived, discarded cars and batteries.  Can the materials be recycled? If not, what happens to them?

3 Lack of an adequate electrical supply is a hindrance.  See Q29

5 Information in the public domain appears to be incomplete and often contradictory. 

6 It is not clear that the environmental benefits of clean air from using more EVs in the UK will off-set the pollution caused by mining and refining the raw materials elsewhere and by earlier disposal of EV cars which have a relatively short lifespan compared to ICE vehicles.

7 Firstly, all costs associated with issues in Q1. Second, consumers may have to pay high costs to upgrade their own energy supply. My rural overhead supply is sufficient for EITHER an air source heat pump OR a home EV charger.  Last year our local supplier quoted some £6000 to provide an underground supply that would satisfy both needs. Non-financial costs include the reduced ability to make emergency or ‘spur-of-the-moment’ journeys because the EV needs recharging first.

9 Main barriers to acquiring an EV are cost, range, availability of working chargers, slow speed of charging, the lack of availability of technicians to maintain EVs and chargers, the extra cost, and the waste of energy because batteries discharge even when the car is not used and the fact that UK temperatures mostly don’t fall within the range for optimum battery performance. I saw one figure giving an optimum temperature range of 20 -25C; where I live this would be achieved for only about two months of the year.  Another figure was an optimum temperature range of 15 - ?20C.  But how to know which is right?  Do all batteries perform the same?  See also Q1 & Q18

11 Too many EV are large [use too many resources to produce, so not environmentally friendly]and expensive, whereas most small, more affordable ‘mass-market’ ones have too short ranges.

15 We are told that battery life is short, that cars with built-in batteries have to be written off if the battery is damaged, so fewer EVs will last long enough to be available second-hand.

18 Main challenges to using EVs include having reliable, quick, and affordable public charging units, how to pass the time safely and comfortably whilst waiting for cars to charge at public charging sites.

20 The home charging support networks needs to be improved.  My neighbours recently had a home charger installed. Shortly afterwards an upgrade put it and many others out of action, and it was over two weeks before it was repaired.  In our small rural village this was only not a disaster because they also had an ICE car!!!

21 To know that all charging points could be used by all EVs would give travellers much more confidence on longer journeys but speed of charging must not be compromised.

24 People without access to home chargers should not be financially penalised by having to use public chargers.  What plans are there to prevent vandalism at public charging sites?

25 No financial benefits at the moment.

29 The inadequacies of the high voltage part of the National Grid are well publicised but local supplies are also inadequate. My local rural overhead supply will allow me to have EITHER an air source heat pump OR a home EV charger. Or I can pay some £6,000 [2022 price] for an undergrounded upgrade.  There was a suggestion some months ago that ‘if necessary’ the National Grid could use plugged in, charging vehicles as a supplementary source of power.  This would mean no user could rely on finding their car charged when they needed it – a huge discouragement to relying on an EV.

30 The Government needs to set realistic, enforced standards, agreed with the distribution network operators.

31 People needing to re-fuel EVs on long journeys will have to wait much longer than to re-fuel an ICE vehicle, so will require somewhere suitable to wait. This cannot reasonably be charged for in addition to the costs of re-fuelling or it becomes too expensive for many people. The facilities need to be warm and dry, with seating and toilets and with no compulsion to buy any food/drink available.  Dogs and other pets must be accommodated [welfare and likelihood of theft means they must not be left in cars] as must people with allergies to animals.  Motorway service stations may be able to satisfy these requirements for the increasing number of long-stay visitors but many other service stations, currently used to quickly stop and re-fuel, will need to expand their facilities considerably and expensively with no guarantee of extra income to off-set the costs. Unless the countryside is to be covered in a rash of unsightly structures, the buildings required will need planning permission and particular care will be needed in designated landscape areas like national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Planning departments are likely to need more staff. All public charging areas must be secure from vandalism, and it is essential that the public charging points offer fast charging and are kept in working order.

32 Many rural residents have a low income and currently depend on the second-hand car market, which it appears may not exist in the same way for EVs.  Most rural residents will live miles from the nearest public charging point but will be least able to afford a home charging point. Will the rural electricity supply be able to cope, especially if it’s also supposed to be running air-source heat pumps for rural houses? Public transport in rural areas is sparse or non-existent so cars are essential.  Unless there are large means-tested subsidies for buying EVs, or prices drop considerably, there is a real risk that rural areas of the UK will become populated only by the rich and that communities of 100s years’ standing will cease to exist. 

33 Local authorities are struggling now. Government could support them in taking on these substantial new and expanding roles by adequately increasing their funding.