September 2024
Welcome to your quarterly members’ e-news. We have the usual updates to bring you including Consultations, other news, new charging station figures, and this time there are several EV Events coming up soon for you to attend! Plus, more myth busting, results of another EV driver survey, and conversation with Welsh Government. Read on and enjoy!
|
|
We are currently drafting our response to the Welsh government consultation on Electric vehicle charging in residential and non-residential buildings. They are seeking views on draft amendments to Building Regulations in Wales to ensure electric vehicle (EV) charging points are included in new residential buildings, new non-residential buildings, and buildings undergoing major renovations or a material change in use where car parking is part of the development. The consultation documents can be found here. We will post our full response on the website when the consultation period ends, and keep you informed on the outcome.
We are continuing the process of contacting the relevant representatives of every County Council Authority in Wales to discuss the Welsh Government’s Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Transformation Fund. The latest round of funding has now been allocated for the 2024/25 period, and the full list of transport grants funding for all authorities can be viewed here. We have now had contact with several authorities, receiving some positive responses, especially from Newport CC – more on this later.
|
|
EVA England published their latest survey in September. Over 1,700 people filled out the survey this year, and you can find the full report here. The key findings were:
- 91% of EV drivers would not go back to petrol or diesel
- 86% find EVs cheaper to run
- 64% feel public charging has improved in the last 12 months
- Over half of drivers without off-street parking do all their charging publicly.
- More than half (58%) of new drivers switched for cost reasons this year.
- EV charging divide: 9 in 10 who mostly charge at home find EVs cheaper than petrol or diesel. Down to just 5 in 10 among those who only use public charging
We have been in conversation with Welsh Government Climate Change Team. The tone in WG has changed around EVs and they are much more able to promote them than previously. They are interested in working with us at the EV Rally (see upcoming events), and to produce EV related content for the Climate Action Wales site, especially around myth busting and second-hand EV purchasing. They shared disappointment with the level/variance of consultation on charging locations by councils, and they are considering how they can connect us up/point to us as sources of consultation. They also informed us that the Church in Wales is producing an EV charging strategy based around the car parks they have as local charging hubs. So, a productive meeting.
Blaenau Gwent has become the first Welsh council to introduce home EV charging for residents with no off-street parking. The council has launched a first-of-its-kind trial in Wales of a through-pavement EV charging channel trial with cable channel innovator KerboCharge. Read the article here.
We have watched with interest the latest myth busting video Electric Car Cliff? from the Stop Burning Stuff Campaign and Fully Charged Show. This is an excellent nine minutes explaining the reality of current EV sales in the UK and Globally, and the truth of the so-called petrol/diesel car ban, as opposed to the headline grabbing media misinformation. We think it is a must watch, especially for those considering moving to electric driving.
|
|
The next event in the electric vehicle calendar is Everything Electric South, by Fully Charged Show. The show will be held at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre from 11th – 13th October. You can book tickets here. As usual, we will have a presence there alongside EVA England, so please come and say hi if you are attending.
|
|
Following our conversations on ULEV funding with Newport City Council, we have been invited to attend Net Zero Newport: The Electric Experience on Friday 18th October at The Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales. You too can join the FREE one-day conference for practical insights on the benefits of electric for achieving net zero. The event offers the perfect opportunity for you to immerse yourself in the world of electric vehicles (EVs), bikes, home energy improvements like heat pumps, solar panels and more. With hands-on test drives, you will get the chance to be in front of the wheel of the latest electric vehicles, and learn about EVs, charging infrastructure, funding opportunities and more. You can find out more and book tickets here. We will have a stand there for visitors to come and chat to us.
|
|
The main event in Wales this year is the EV Rally Cymru 2024. On 13th November participating teams assemble in Cardiff, before setting off on a 2-day, 500-mile event, making their way through mid-Wales in an anti-clockwise direction, taking in charging hubs, clean energy projects and some of the most rural roads anywhere in the UK through the Brecon Beacons, Powys, and up past Llangollen, finishing Day 1 on the north coast in Bangor. Day 2 sees the Teams head south through Blaenau Ffestiniog, down to Machynlleth, Aberystwyth, via Cardigan and then across to Neath Port Talbot for the Finish.
|
|
The public are welcome to visit the rally at any of the checkpoints (CP) along the two-day route shown above, just pick a day and a CP close to you and pop down… The more, the merrier! More details can be found here.
HELPING THE TRANSITION TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES…
With tackling transport emissions across Wales top of the agenda, EV Rally Cymru will demonstrate the viability of EVs for business use in fleets, what the Welsh public charging network currently looks like, where attention needs to be applied to create a more expansive and accessible network, and much more.
The event will also coincide with Wales Climate Week, an annual virtual climate conference bringing people together to discuss climate change, organised by Welsh Government. Attendance is not restricted, and registration is free to anyone interested in joining the discussion.
|
|
At the end of August, there were 2928 charge points in Wales, increasing slightly to 4.3% of the UK total, according to data by Zap-map. There have been 331 new installations throughout the country since the last newsletter, as the rate and quantity of installations continues to increase.
A recent check of the Ionity Charging Network shows four new locations in Wales currently in construction, two in the North at Wrexham and singing Kettle near Caerwys (a previous Ecotricity site), and two in the south at Abergavenny and Swansea.
Also, charging network provider Gridserve have an offer on their App. Get 10% discount per kWh on charging through October 2024, just download the app, use it to start your charge and get your discount.
As always, we recommend using one of the many charging point apps or websites to find new installations in your area, such as Zap-map, and if you know of any news regarding latest locations of installations, and occasionally removal, and on-going issues of major charging infrastructure, please Contact us so we can be as informed as possible, thanks.
|
|
As always, whether you are a new member or been with us from the start, thank you for your support. It is just over one year since the very first meeting we had to discuss the possibility of EVA Cymru and since then we have been able to make an impact and build relationships. We are keen to grow our membership as much as possible to make sure that we can represent as many EV drivers as possible - so please send this newsletter on to other people who might be interested. The more members we have, the more power we have in discussions in the policy/decision making process. To register a new interest in membership please complete the form here.
Please also follow us on X(Twitter) at @EVACymru , Facebook at EVA Cymru | Facebook, and LinkedIn at evacymru, and re-post if you can to help us reach even more people. As always, you can find out more about who we are, our purpose and see more content and resources on our website at eva.cymru.
We offer two levels of Individual Membership:
FREE Associate Membership
This gives you access to most EVA Cymru events, information, and our regular information emails.
Full Membership
For just (£10) you can become a full member of EVA Cymru which gives you all the benefits of an Associate Member as well as Full Member benefits such as Member Discounts and exclusive events. You will also be directly supporting our work and will be able to vote at our AGM to set the direction and strategy of EVA Cymru.
We also offer Corporate Membership to companies who want to support EV development in Wales. If you would like to discuss Corporate Membership, please Contact us.
|
|
That is all for now, you are right up to date for this quarter.
Thank you for your support!
|
|
|
|
|