In the United Kingdom, the transition to electric mobility is aligned with ambitious policies requiring 80% of new cars sold in 2030 to be electric (EVs), with a complete phase-out of internal combustion engine sales by 2035.
The region is on track to meet these targets, as battery electric cars remain the fastest-growing segment of the market.
In fact, one in four new units sold in November was electric, driving a more than 50% increase in EV registrations during the month.
In fact, November marked the fourth consecutive month with a market share exceeding 20%, according to data from New AutoMotive.
“There is strong public acceptance of electric mobility due to its climate benefits,” acknowledges Paul Monks, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), in an interview with Mobility Portal Europe.
However, for this revolution to truly achieve zero emissions, the energy source used to charge these cars must also be clean.
This is why the UK, under its current government, has set a goal to decarbonise the entire electricity system by 2030.
“Renewables will, in some sense, become the new backbone of the power grid,” says Monks.
This goal presents three key challenges, the first of which is bolstering renewable energy production, particularly solar and wind, which will form the backbone of the energy mix.
“We aim to achieve 50 gigawatts of offshore and onshore wind capacity, as well as venture into floating offshore wind as part of this target,” explains Monks.
Additionally, solar capacity will also be expanded to support this transition.
The second challenge involves decentralising energy generation.
Large renewable energy installations, primarily located in coastal and northern areas, require robust infrastructure to avoid additional costs and ensure efficient distribution.
The third and final challenge pertains to optimising energy storage, as the UK faces the ambitious task of integrating 20 GW of battery storage capacity into its energy system by 2025.
Monks reveals that this will be crucial to ensuring the stability of a grid increasingly reliant on renewable sources like wind and solar.
“Decarbonising our energy system requires technologies that can offer flexibility and efficient storage,” states Monks.
Currently, the UK is developing a system based on 50 GW of wind capacity, including floating technologies, while expanding its solar infrastructure.
However, Monks highlights that batteries still operate under a purely market-driven system.
“Today, batteries generate revenue through arbitrage, buying energy when it’s cheap and selling it when it’s scarce, but this doesn’t directly address the grid’s needs,” explains the adviser.
Monks notes that financial incentives for battery storage are not robust enough.
“Although the estimated demand ranges between 20 and 40 GW, we already have over 250 GW of battery projects in the queue, demonstrating strong private sector interest,” he says.
Despite this, current market schemes, such as the capacity market, do not favour battery integration, making it difficult for them to be adopted as strategic assets rather than merely commercial ones.
To address this issue, the UK aims to implement reforms that will enable a transition to systems that reward storage as a strategic reserve, essential for stabilising the grid during periods of high generation variability.
