In the UK parliamentary elections on 4 July, Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, was elected Prime Minister, ending 14 years of Conservative government.
During its election campaign, the new government suggested it might change the target year for banning internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
In reality, while the initial deadline was 2030, it has now been moved to 2035.
“The new government showed intent to reintroduce this target. However, although it’s still early days, it seems to be backtracking on that stance, as the 2035 date remains in place,” comments Scott Rose, Head of Sales at Clenergy EV, during the Summit of Leaders in the US, Spain, and Europe, organised by Mobility Portal Europe.
Additionally, the UK has a car tax from which electric vehicles (EVs) are currently exempt.
“However, that exemption has been questioned, and from 2025 all new EVs will be subject to road tax,” Rose lamented.
The Head of Sales at Clenergy EV also pointed out that the electrification of railway lines has come to a halt.
“There are contradictions in the government’s statements: on one hand, they claim to support electromobility; but on the other, they’re introducing barriers, causing consumers to question whether it’s really worth investing in an EV,” he remarked.
Rose also mentioned that while the UK’s charging infrastructure is improving, “it has a bad reputation.”
The reality is that although chargers can continue to be installed – around 1,500 are being added each month – there isn’t enough energy production to power them.
“A lot of our infrastructure is 40 to 50 years old, so it needs to be updated and improved,” he stated.
And he continued: “If we want to move forward, we need to focus on larger infrastructure projects, such as electric buses and trains, which are crucial.”
What are the consequences, and how can they be addressed?
In light of the mentioned barriers, the Head of Sales acknowledged that one of the biggest challenges facing the sector is consumer confidence.
Moreover, it’s necessary to get local and regional governments committed to electromobility.
“We are working to influence them,” Rose assured.
It is worth mentioning that Clenergy EV offers software with a range of tools to facilitate the management of charging points.
In this regard, local authorities have approached the company as they’ve been analysing the electrification of their fleets in recent years and have received government funding to do so.
Such is the case of Nottingham City Council, which set a goal for at least 50% of its fleet – including refuse trucks and small vehicles – to be electric within two years.
Once they tackled the challenges related to charger installations, they evaluated which charge point management system would be the best.
“They didn’t just focus on the price, but also considered the system’s ease of use, its scalability, and its ability to grow with them,” explained Rose.
Clenergy EV was selected, and since then, the company has worked with them on a combination of AC and DC units, ranging from seven to 80 kilowatts.
“In the past 18 months, their fleet has grown, and now nearly 60% of their vehicles are electric,” confirmed the Head of Sales.
Thanks to this success story, Clenergy EV began working with other governments.
“In Wales, where we are based, around 60% of local authorities are following a similar model to Nottingham,” he explained.
They work with them not only on private fleet charging at depots but also on public charging, integrating both systems so that everything can be managed from a single control panel.
“This allows them to see the revenue generated, how much they are saving in greenhouse gases, and how they are using renewable energy,” said Rose.
“We are designing the Charge Point Management System (CPMS) platform to offer improvements and provide business models that demonstrate a good return on investment for our clients,” he added.
This platform is constantly updated to offer more options to drivers, such as roaming facilities and access to more stations, reducing the need for multiple apps on phones.
Clenergy EV doesn’t just focus on one part of the process but analyses all of them to provide a comprehensive solution for its clients.
About Clenergy EV
Clenergy EV is a UK-based company that offers software as a service (SaaS) that integrates with charge points after installation.
This system allows customers to control the chargers, ensure that energy is supplied correctly, and obtain accurate metering results.
It also allows for processing payments if necessary, which can be made via Google Pay, Apple Pay, and other common methods.
“Since it’s a SaaS product, we also have roaming agreements, meaning it can be used at over 250,000 different charging points across Europe. It’s quite comprehensive,” Rose commented.
Being based in the UK, the product allows teams to focus on UK and EU legislation, rather than North American regulations.
“Recently, new public charging point regulations were introduced in the UK. By using the software, these can be complied with,” assured the Head of Sales.
