EV Charging strategy.

During my 4.5 years as a Cllr, I have been consistently clear that we need the right types of chargers in the right places in the right quantities. I’ve also mentioned at council that what we charge for their use is a very important factor.

Many of you would have noticed that availability and maintenance have also become factors. i.e. Can I get to one and is it working? This becomes even more critical as 2^nd and 3^rd hand EVs enter the market, but also during the colder months when battery range is reduced.

I’ve shared my thoughts with relevant members of the executive already but encourage members of the public to send their own ideas to me so I can build a body of evidence and ensure we get this right for the future. Just email me at adrian.abbs1@westberks.gov.uk.

Right now, we have extreme examples that can easily be fixed but that are holding back the adoption of clean-air vehicles.

I’ll use two examples that I see almost daily. Example 1 is the charge points installed on West Mill Road, Newbury – There are 2 charge points in this road and they are rated at 5kW. FYI The bigger the charger the faster it fills the car battery. The first thing that can be fixed is their accessibility. There is no priority given to parking next to the charge point. So, most of the time you just can’t get to one. Second, there are time restrictions. It is a max of 2 hours and no return within an hour. Therefore, the best you can hope for, if you’re lucky, is 2 hours of charge. For a Nissan LEAF, 2 hours is about 36.4 miles. Of course, if you’re a resident then you will have a permit for overnight, but you still have the issue of access to the charge point. There is also slightly more bad news as the peak rate is rather high at 79p/kWh and a connection fee. Even off peak its 46p/kWh.

Why is the peak rate bad news? Well, the average UK car drives 38.8 miles to the gallon. As I write this letter the average cost per gallon is 147.8p/litre or £6.72 per gallon. Put another way its 17.32p per mile. In 2 hours, a Nissan LEAF would get 36.36 miles of range using a 5kW charger. However, the cost would be 21.72p per mile. Using the off-peak rate, then it’s just 12.56p per mile.

To add insult to injury the charge points were installed using a government grant. So someone has already had a slice of the cake and yet we don’t make them available and we don’t ensure at least a matching tariff to home use. Instead, someone somewhere wants to turn it into a cash cow.

Now let’s look at a couple of car parks in Newbury. Market Street car park (Council controlled) & Parkway (private). Well, no luck at Market Street as the 2 charging points have been out of action for over 6 months now. Parkway is much better and has 8 of its 10 working. Also, it’s just 30p per kWh to use, so a very low 8.2p per mile.

What I’d like to see happen includes

1) Where a government grant pays for infrastructure (which is our money anyway) then a cap on profits for the supply of power to the public should also be mandated.

2) That access to chargers becomes a priority – Especially overnight when these slow 5kW chargers are best used.

3) That West Berkshire follows through with Veolia on a trial of electric waste vehicles for certain routes and ensures at least some charge points are available in Padworth.

4) That once installed there is an associated service level agreed to ensure they are working.

5) That consultations are completed asap with Parish councils on where fast chargers can be installed on community facilities. Also, ensure engagement with other community facilities.

6) That if we can’t spend grants more wisely, then we don’t spend the money at all. At the end of the day, all this cash comes from tax revenue i.e. me and you.

Adrian Abbs

Independent Councillor

West Berkshire Council