The UK faces major challenges in meeting climate change targets and improving air quality. Achieving a rapid uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK plays an important part in meeting those challenges as well as developing an exemplar global leading EV market. However, growth within the market is somewhat stalled, with challenges related to interoperability, digital integration and interdependencies affecting it.
The digital integration of charging infrastructure and access to real time data is at the heart of creating large scale business opportunities and unlocking whole system benefits in transport and energy. Though, this inevitably raises the following questions:
- Who owns the data?
- What data should be shared for communal benefit?
- What issues will arise from cyber security?
- How do we deal with increasing levels of algorithmic automation and the rise of artificial intelligence?
Data plays a pivotal role in delivering whole system benefits and clarity. A coherent approach to data is necessary to enable digital information to be analysed and consolidated as soon as it is collected. Currently, this is lacking, posing a major barrier to creating innovative business models for EV charging with bundled energy and transport services.
Real time data processing and analytics will also be instrumental in delivering a consumer experience people are willing to pay for as well as ensuring the right charging infrastructure solutions are being identified that scale and investors can approach with confidence. However, we may also accept that there will be business ethical issues that will need addressing in relation to this.
At present, data relating to EVs is commercially sensitive and is therefore not made available. However, to empower the market an agreed set of “system operations’ data” needs to be publicly available. For example, the effectiveness of smart charging solutions will be significantly impaired if the state of charge (SoC) of an EV is not known. Having a standardised and coordinated approach for EV related data will support informed decision making for regulatory, business and investment purposes.
We believe that implementing a sound data architecture, underpinned by secure and appropriate data availability, will not only resolve fundamental challenges, but bring benefit to the market place as a whole. Data is weaved across all market sectors touching on every market participant needs. Yet no single party can resolve the issues faced by the market. We therefore need a collaborative approach, and this is where the Electric Vehicle Governance Framework (EVGF) comes in.
The EVGF consultation seeks views on the difficulties businesses face in generating sales and viable business models that deliver on government targets for EVs and deliver an exemplary market in the UK.
In 2019 we invited you to participate in our EVGF Consultation. A copy of the consultation results are available below.
