JUICE! - the start of an exciting journey

So, what did we learn?`

International guest speaker Christina Bu, Secretary General of the Norwegian EV Association, the world’s largest EV owner association with 70,000 members, revealed how Norway’s hugely successful EV sector is largely driven by incentives; access to bus lanes, 60% company car tax, no annual road tax, financial support schemes and EVs designed for rural use. These ‘rewards’ for EV users have shifted Norway from an ‘early-adopter market’ to a well-established poster child of the EV sector, highlighting UK’s failure to make electric vehicle transport accessible and desirable to the masses.

Quentin Willson, TV presenter and JUICE sponsor ambassador for The Algorithm People stressed the need to have a strategic road network that placed EV drivers no more than 50 miles away from a charging point and with vehicle to grid no longer being enough to meet demand, battery storage technology development. How? Use Artificial Intelligence and leverage the knowledge of private investors to uncover imaginative and creative solutions.

The Energy Saving Trust’s Luke Redfern said charge points should not be looked at in isolation and must go beyond residential locations in order to instil confidence for future EV users. What do consumers want? ‘Clarity and connectivity’.
 

Toddington Harper, CEO of GRIDSERVE spoke of epic solar power projects to feed electric vehicle growth and in turn the much-needed infrastructure solutions required. One such solution - building Electric Forecourts – not what you would expect, but awe-inspiring locations that offered a one-stop-shop for EV users and even include education centres to encourage a future generation of EV drivers.
 

Infrastructure Strategy Specialist, Jacob Roberts of CENEX agreed, adding charge points can be used to provide grid supply if solar powered.
 

Jonathan Murray, Policy & Operations Director of LowCVP is working hard to deliver recommendations to government and industry via its Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce because ‘unless we work together, we fail to engage with the EV driver. We need to think about where we will be in 2030 and develop systems that work in real time to gain consumers trust and confidence’.

Adrian del Maestro, Director of Research and Head of Global Thought Leadership in Energy at Strategy&, PwC highlighted the need for new entrants and alternative business models to enter the EV Infrastructure sector. Why? To bring fresh ideas and a new approach to encourage investors.
 

BEAMA’s Head of Flexible Energy Systems, Jeremy Yapp caused a stir introducing the audience to the concept of eliminating ‘range anxiety’ and instead instilling ‘range confidence’. Jeremy added that future public transport services would be plentiful and electrified and attendees took to Twitter to spread the news.
 

Uplifting market share is key said SMMT’s David Wong. The Technology & Innovation Manager added that unless the right chargers are located in the right place, infrastructure growth would remain a challenge.
 

Richard McMahon, Professor of Power Electronics, University of Warwick introduced alternatives to plug-in charging; static, on-street for public transport and dynamic for private vehicles using dedicated roadside charging lanes - a positive glimpse into the future.