Electric Vehicles Unplugged 2010

 

The activities of Parliamentary groups are of great importance as they allow an opportunity for genuinely open debate between Parliament and industry representatives – and this event was no exception, with participants from both houses and all parties and across industry (including PSA Peugeot Citroen, Ford, GM, HSBC, Optimal Energy, Vattenfall, Nissan, Eurocopper, Atraverda, Think, Modec, OLEV, ADEME, Better Place, Toyota, Mahle Powertrain Ltd, Bosch, Mitsui, Valeo, Eaton Industries Manufacturing GmbH, Hyundai and Fiat.)

 

This is the second time the design and innovation group has staged this event, and on both occasions has been commended by attendees as highly engaging and thought provoking. 

 

Since last year's conference, the landscape and context for the EV sector has greatly advanced, with the former Labour government announcing two key strategies last summer:
 

1. A consumer subsidy to the cost of new electric cars from the start of next year, January 2011. The subsidy is £5,000 or 25% cost of the new EV and the budget set aside is £230 million. 
 

2. £30 million is budgeted for infrastructure/ charging stations developments in the three hot spots: London, Milton Keynes and the North East. This project is called “plugged-in places” and about 11,000 charge spots are supposed to come up in 3 years and 2-2,500 spots to be installed by April 2011.

 

The new coalition government, with its commitment to reduce government spending, has put all the financial commitments of the year under review, EV bills included. 
 

The announcements of approximately twelve months ago encouraged many automotive manufacturers to strategize the UK as a key market for electric vehicles. For example, Nissan is setting up a battery and EV manufacturing plant in Sunderland, to produce the Leaf car. Mitsubishi are looking to invest in projects to create EV charging “hot-spots” in UK. 

 

After a short introduction to proceedings by Lord Palmer, Tobias Reich of PSA explained that government subsidies could be reduced as the market grows and battery prices fall, and Kobus Meiring of Optimal Energy illustrated South African government support for Electric Vehicles and production facilities. Sharon Hodgson MP, whose constituency will be affected both by the decisions of Nissan – whose Sunderland plant is on her turf - and as part of the North East - an infrastructure development ‘hot-spot’ – spoke about the importance of such industries for regional economic development.

 

This is a very youthful debate and there are still many details to be ascertained – how to ensure choice for the consumer is one such. There is still a long way to go if we are to achieve the ambitions, set out by all three parties and subsequently the coalition, to be a global leader in ultra-low-carbon vehicles. And many other western economies are splitting their development incentives between several different types of low-carbon transport technology – for example, fuel cell vehicles are an alternative option. The UK government has been unique in placing so much faith in the future of battery-powered cars. But fundamentally, far from being able to rely on existing as a post-industrial society - the automotive sector is of key importance to the UK. It supports R&D, technological innovation, skills and a supply chain that's a mainstay of the wider manufacturing sector.

 

The debate on the Lords Terrace was accompanied by an exhibition of two electric vehicles - the Peugeot iOn and Citroen C-Zero, with an opportunity for Parliamentarians and guests to test-drive the prototype vehicles.

  
L to R: The panel, chaired by Lord Palmer, Sharon Hodgson MP

  
L to R: Kobus Meiring, Tobias Reich, Sarwant Singh

More photos on the Frost & Sullivan website here