The Welsh Government’s commitment to invest £2m in additional electric vehicle charging points over the next two years is a positive step, says JLL, as it highlights a national lack of infrastructure in this area.
In the Welsh Government’s draft budget for 2018-2019 it said this measure would support its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Property consultancy JLL, which has an office in Cardiff, conducted a survey of UK local authorities into existing and planned infrastructure for electric vehicles has highlighted a national lack of electric vehicle charging provision, limited capital in budgets to increase or install new charging points and uncertainty around government grant eligibility.
Of the Local Authorities surveyed by JLL in conjunction with the British Parking Association (BPA) over a third (33%) had no electric vehicle charge points, 69% did not have the capital in their budgets to increase or install electric vehicle points and over a third (36%) didn’t know if they were eligible for government grants towards installation.
In Wales, three local authorities, including a major city, responded to the survey, covering nearly 170 car parks with 17,600 spaces. Among these, there was only one local authority-owned electric vehicle charge point. Two local authorities – including the major city – said they had no local authority charging points and no plans to install them in the next three years.
Two Welsh smaller local authorities did not have the capital in their budget to make the investment and had not pursued or not known whether government grants were applicable.
Chris Sutton, lead director at JLL in Cardiff, commented: “It is welcome news that Welsh Government is committing to invest in additional electric charging points. With the ban on new petrol and diesel cars not far away, our survey highlights the need for urgent investment in infrastructure for new technologies both in Wales and in the wider UK.
“Although we are seeing some companies investing in off-street charging points, for example in petrol stations and shopping centres, the key challenge is the lack of on-street charging points, which will fall to the local authorities to install. This is a particular issue in big cities where people tend to park on the street due to the lack of a drive or garage.”
According to Zap Map, recent data shows there are 395 electric charging points in Wales, with the majority installed by companies in off-street locations. This is the second lowest figure among the UK regions. In Scotland, there are 1850 charging points.
Chris Sutton added: “The injection of investment by the UK government into emerging automotive technologies is welcome. However it needs to be backed up by clear advice to councils about grant applications and available funding for infrastructure, otherwise how will new technology be able to be used on a wider scale.
“Landlords, retailers and investors also need to recognise the opportunities that providing the right infrastructure can bring. For instance, having charging points will also increase dwell time in shopping centres or other locations as consumers buy that extra coffee or pop into another shop while they wait for their car to charge.”
The survey found that in the UK there is an average of 0.003 charging points per car parking space and 0.39 per car park, which compares to 0.006 per car park in Wales.
Regarding future plans for installation, 51% of UK authorities are planning to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points or install new ones, the plans of 16% are dependent upon funding and 34% currently had no plans for new installations.
The survey also revealed heavy imbalances across the country, with 25 authorities having no charging points at all.
The survey follows the recent government announcements that the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars will be banned from 2040 and for investment into the development of electric and driverless vehicles.