Fleets are being urged by the Kerbside Charging Group to register their interest in joining the recently created kerbside charging initiative
The group was created by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) to collect data from EV drivers. This information will be used to map out where electric vehicle kerbside chargers are most urgently needed on a street-by-street level.
According to the AFP, the map will be able to be used by national and local governments, and charging and electricity suppliers from early in 2022.
Paul Hollick, chair of the AFP commented ‘It’s no exaggeration to say that the creation of the Kerbside Charging Group has created more interest than any other subject or campaign with which the AFP has become involved.’
When asked about the current demand for the electrification of fleets, Hollick noted ‘Every day we are hearing from fleets, especially van fleets, that want to speed up the electrification of their operations but are being hampered by the problem of charging for drivers who do not have a driveway charger or any other access to a charger.’
It is thought by the AFP that the lack of access to charging points is a problem for around 40% of drivers across all fleets. For drivers of light commercial vehicles, the lack of charging points is thought to impact up to 70% of drivers.
“That means good availability of kerbside charging is essential if van electrification is going to be a success,” added Hollick.
Combined data from organisations including Royal Mail,Centrica, Open Reach, ISS, DEFRA, Kier, Mitie, VM O2, Marston Holdings, Capita, National Grid, SSE, Speedy Hire, J Murphy, and Clarion Housing has given the AFP access to information on about 160,000 potential and existing EV drivers.
However, Hollick stated ‘We are also keen to hear from other businesses who are not currently AFP members in order to include their information.
‘Our plan is to be able to create a map early in the New Year that will show on a street-by-street basis where kerbside charging is required. This will be a crucial tool when it comes to making fleet electrification happen faster.’
Making essential components like charging points widely accessible is crucial. With demand for electrification growing every day, sustaining this can only come with increasing accessibility across the UK. The involvement from groups like AFP to help innovate the electric vehicle uptake is a positive step in the expansion process.
