BEIS Committee EV report rightly calls for focus on deployment

• Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Committee releases their report ‘Electric vehicles: driving the transition’
• Report calls for an earlier ban on new petrol and diesel car sales
• Key measures, including new policies around charging and reducing company car tax rates, suggested
• REA, which represents the renewable energy, storage, and EV charging sectors, comments

Responding to today’s BEIS Committee report ‘Electric Vehicles: driving the transition, Daniel Brown, Policy Manager at the Renewable Energy Association (REA) commented:

“If we want to build EVs in the future, as the Government has outlined, then we first need to build markets for them. To do so requires consumers feeling confident that they can reliably access chargers at a range of locations, including at home, on street, and in hubs.

“One key way to support the range of EV charging developers is to ensure that there are enough vehicles on the roads using their charge points. Benefit-in-Kind rates for electric company cars are currently heading in the wrong direction, up to a frustrating 16% next year, and should be reduced to 2% in the Autumn Statement to bring us in line with Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland.

“We are supportive of the Committee’s views that the Government should take a more direct role in coordinating a ‘whole systems’ approach to ensure the strategic provision of charging infrastructure and introduce a strategy to support local authorities who are at the front lines of much of the development of our charging network. Rural charging could be a difficulty to deploy in some situations and it is key that we find ways to tackle this potential market failure, possibly through the previously announced Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund.”

—ENDS—

For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

Daniel Brown
Policy Manager
+44 (0)20 7981 0857
[email protected]

Notes to editors
1. Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee’s 14th report of session 2017-19 ‘Electric vehicles: driving the transition’ and press release can be found online from 00.01 on 19th October 2018 here: https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/business-energy-industrial-strategy/news-parliament-2017/electric-vehicles-report-published-17-19/

About the Renewable Energy Association (REA)

The REA is the UK’s largest trade association for renewable energy and clean technologies with around 550 members operating across heat, transport, and power. The REA is a not-for-profit organisation that represents renewable energy and clean technology companies operating in over fourteen sectors, ranging from biogas and renewable fuels to solar and electric vehicle charging. Membership ranges from major multinationals to sole traders.

The REA’s EV sector group is comprised of around 70 members delivering the critical infrastructure needed to deliver the transition to a zero emission car and van future. The REA additionally serves as secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Electric and Automated Vehicles.

For more information, visit: www.r-e-a.net