By Charlie Jardine, CEO, EO Charging

EO Charging founder Charlie Jardine

The past year threw up some clear obstacles on the UK’s road to EV adoption, and I believe 2023 will be a crucial period in which our industry must think creatively to avoid losing momentum. The short-term appetite of government and business may be wavering, so we must act now to signpost the long-term benefits of this cost-saving technology.

The removal of Vehicle Excise Duty exemptions from 2025 for BEVs shows how the economy and Treasury has shifted into austerity mode, and in the face of this we must continue to reassure the industry and our customers that the impending 2030 EV and 2035 eBus mandates are still achievable. Championing initiatives such as the Rapid Charging Fund, the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure scheme and the Workplace Charging Scheme should be central to our efforts. These have helped get the market moving, but it is now our responsibility to keep it rolling.

A likely tax hike on traditional fuels in the Budget this March should aid the argument in favour of the electrification of commercial fleets and private vehicles. However, with the economy poised to tip into recession, now is not the best time to be asking finance directors to sign off large capital investments. With the cost of transitioning a 100-strong bus fleet coming in at around £50m, is it any wonder that six in 10 fleet operators we spoke to cite the upfront purchase costs of vehicles as one of the biggest barriers to going electric?

This is where we need to think more creatively as an industry, and back our assertions that EVs represent far better value in the long-term by sharing the risks with our clients. Here at EO Charging we’ve done just that with the launch of a new multi-source financing and services platform – MOBILITe – that I am confident will help accelerate the rollout of EV fleets across the UK. Backed by a number of the UK’s largest banks, such as HSBC,  our new initiative is easing the upfront cost for our clients and offering them not only charging-as-a-service, but also vehicle- and battery-as-a-service.

As oil and gas prices fall from their 2022 peaks, we must continue to champion the long-term benefits of switching fleets and private vehicles to a more sustainable, more flexible element of the UK’s total energy needs. We’re a nation rich in renewable sources of energy, and BEVs offer the perfect solution to store and smooth our national generation capacity.

Whether through onsite generation such as solar panels – or load management technology – fleet managers have the capability to monitor their power supply and set a flexible limit for a group of chargers to balance power in line with fluctuating power availability on site. Post the energy scares of last year, 2023 is a great opportunity to persuade businesses to become more self-sufficient for the benefit of both the bottom line and the planet.

There’s no doubt that the coming year will be challenging for us all, but with the right support, I believe EV growth is not only still possible, but inevitable. At EO Charging, we provide turnkey EV charging solutions for car, van, truck and bus fleets across the UK and Europe.

If your business wants to move into the fast lane of EV adoption, unlocking long-term cost and carbon savings, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team to see how we can help.