Category Archives: Charging

New autonomous vehicle insurance and electric vehicle infrastructure

March 3, 2017Autonomous Driving, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesTrevor Larkum

Self-driving car insurance and electric vehicle charge point measures introduced in Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill.

New insurance rules for self-driving cars and measures to improve provision of electric vehicle charge points will be introduced today (22 February 2017), as part of the Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill.

It is hoped these measures will help the UK to become a world leader in these technologies by breaking down some of the barriers that could limit companies from testing them here.

Measures around insurance for self-driving cars will ensure better protection – a single insurance product for automated vehicles will now be able to cover both the motorist when they are driving, as well as the car when it is in automated mode. This will mean innocent victims involved in a collision with an automated vehicle will have quick and easy access to compensation.

Self-driving vehicles will allow the driver to hand full control and responsibility to the vehicle when technologies are turned on.

The measures follow a consultation by the Department for Transport on the issue of insurance for self-driving cars that closed in September 2016. The Secretary of State will be given the power to classify which vehicles are ‘automated’ and subject to the new insurance requirement.

Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary, said:

Automated vehicles have the potential to transform our roads in the future and make them even safer and easier to use, as well as promising new mobility for those who cannot drive.

But we must ensure the public is protected in the event of an incident and today we are introducing the framework to allow insurance for these new technologies.

David Williams, Head of Underwriting, at AXA UK, said:

This is a positive step forward that provides clarity to insurers to ensure we design our products appropriately. It keeps protection of the general public at its heart which we hope will encourage early adoption of some really impressive technology.

The vast majority of accidents are caused by human error and we see automated vehicles having a massive impact, reducing the number and severity of accidents. As well as making our roads safer, insurance premiums are based on the cost of claims and therefore we expect substantially reduced premiums to follow.

Other measures set out in the Bill will mean easier access to infrastructure for electric vehicles. They could also ensure the right infrastructure is in place for the growing market for electric vehicles.

Motorway services and large fuel retailers could be made to provide electric charge points and hydrogen refuelling stations under planned new laws.

The measures could also make sure data about the location and availability of charging stations is openly available, and make it easier to use the different networks which are available. They follow a public consultation on measures to improve charging infrastructure.

John Hayes, Minister of State for Transport said:

If we are to accelerate the use of electric vehicles we must take action now and be ready to take more action later. I recognise that to encourage more drivers to go electric, the infrastructure needs to become even more widespread than the 11,000 charging points already in place and more straightforward. We are determined to do all we can to make electric vehicles work for everyone and these new laws will help make this a reality.

Source: Gov.uk

Heathrow Airport installs new electric vehicle charging points

March 2, 2017Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, POD PointTrevor Larkum

New electric vehicle charging points have been installed at Heathrow Airport under a new partnership between POD Point, manufacturer of the units, and APCOA Parking.

The units are available to all drivers of electric vehicles looking to park at the airport.

“This partnership agreement has the potential to be a game changer for the EV industry in the UK, and not only in volume,” says Erik Fairbairn, CEO of POD Point. “Working with APCOA means access to EV will be granted to a huge section of the population at various touch points in their daily life, as well as putting a measure in place to generate footfall in retail centres and provide added services that encourage customer retention for businesses. Our mission is to have a POD Point everywhere people park for an hour or more and today’s announcement means we are a step closer to making that vision a reality.”

Kim Challis, Regional Managing Director for UK & Ireland, APCOA, adds: “At APCOA we’re passionate about sustainable travel and the future of electric vehicles. I’m proud to be embarking on this exciting new partnership with POD Point. APCOA is the parking provider of choice to hundreds of organisations across the UK and Ireland, and our broad network will open up EV chargers to new motorists and support the wider take-up of electric vehicles.”

Source: Airport Business

Country’s first electric car showroom to open in Milton Keynes

March 1, 2017BP Chargemaster, Charging, Electric Cars, EVEC, Milton Keynes, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesTrevor Larkum

Chargemaster has won the contract to set up and operate a new EV Experience Centre in Milton Keynes.

This will be the UKs first-ever shopping centre multi-brand showroom. Milton Keynes was awarded £9 million Go Ultra Low Cities funding in January 2016 to encourage the uptake of low emission vehicles and hit the target of 23 per cent of all car sales being electric or plug-in by 2021.

The project is due to launch in spring and will be situated within the city’s premier shopping centre. The ground-breaking new project will help residents understand the true potential of EV ownership.

As well as showcasing the latest EVs and exciting technology, highly trained independent professionals will be on hand to answer visitors’ questions and refer them to relevant local dealerships or partner leasing companies. As an added bonus, Milton Keynes residents and businesses will also be able to test drive a range of vehicles on a short or long-term basis.

Brian Matthews, head of Transport Innovation at Milton Keynes, said:

“Our commitment to making Milton Keynes a go-to destination and flagship Go Ultra Low city starts with our residents.

“We’re delighted to be working with Chargemaster on this project, and are confident that the team is best placed to champion the EV sector, considering their knowledge and experience of the industry.”

David Martell, Chargemaster CEO, said:

“Being part of such a high-profile and diverse project is very exciting for Chargemaster.

“The centre will be the first of its kind and we are sure it will pave the way for other cities to follow.

“We are looking forward to welcoming Milton Keynes shoppers and showing them everything that going green has to offer.”

Wireless EV Charging Standard Agreed

February 23, 2017Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Wireless ChargingTrevor Larkum

The world’s major electric car makers and charging equipment providers have agreed on a standardised specification for wireless EV charging points, allowing companies to develop components going forward that will seamlessly work with each other anywhere.

Although not as exciting on the surface as say a new high-powered rapid charger, the standardisation of wireless car charging is of vital importance to the EV market in the future.

New standardised wireless chargers mean cross-brand and network compatibility

All of the main EV and PHEV manufacturers are planning on incorporating wireless charging into future models, while it is also a crucial element of autonomous EVs that can drive off and charge themselves when not in use.

The new SAE J2954 standard will charge at either 3.7 kW or 7.7 kW in Level 1 or Level 2 respectively. These use current commonly found charging rates, with a Level 3 set-up charging at 11 kW planned for later this year.

The agreements were made at a meeting at Audi HQ in Ingolstadt, Germany, chaired by Jesse Schneider who has worked on the project since 2010.

Mr Schneider said:

“Charging your vehicle should be as simple as parking it and walking away — and wireless charging with SAE J2954™ enables that freedom and convenience to do this automatically. Automakers believe that wireless charging can greatly help to make both electrified and autonomous vehicle mainstream, and they have been active supporters of our standardization efforts.

“Reaching a decision for a common J2954™ RP test station, equipped with circular topology, provides automakers with the technical direction for their wireless charging system design, development and production release plans to meet industry compatibility, interoperability and performance standards. It is a major step forward for the industry.”

Source: Next Green Car

Shell and Total Plan Electric Charging at Service Stations

February 14, 2017Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

Shell and Total plan electric charging at service stations, but BP’s Aral pushes back

The UK government has said that it wants to ‘ensure there is provision of electric charge points’ at large fuel retailers. Oil giant Shell has said it will install charging points at petrol stations in the UK and the Netherlands, and rival Total has said it will do the same in France.

However, Aral, part of oil giant BP and the largest petrol station chain in Germany with 2,500 service stations, is much less enthusiastic about installing electric charging at its own stations.

Government sets out new powers to shape electric vehicle charging infrastructure

February 14, 2017BMW, Charging, Electric Cars, i8, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

The government has set out its plans for the future of UK electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the UK, including powers to standardise new publicly accessible chargepoints; requirements for smart technologies to allow chargepoints to help balance the grid; and minimum provision of charging infrastructure at motorway services.

The proposals have been unveiled as part of the government’s plans for a Modern Transport Bill, which will be introduced to Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

Within the response to a consultation on proposed ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) carried out at the end of 2016, the Department for Transport (DfT) has outlined a series of new powers to increase deployment of charging infrastructure.

Within this are plans to require infrastructure installed for the purposes of charging EVs to have ‘smart’ functionality to receive, understand and respond to signals sent by energy system participants.

This would allow charge points to help balance energy supply and demand in a similar way as battery storage, although the plans did not explain if this infrastructure would be able to access the same revenue streams open to storage.

This measure was met with overwhelming support from respondents, with 90% approving of the plans which could allow EV charging demand to “form a controllable load of immense proportions at a national scale”.

DfT also plans to adopt powers requiring operators of motorway service areas to ensure a minimum provision of electric and hydrogen fuels for ULEVs at their sites. This may mean they need to engage a third-party operator to provide the required infrastructure.

UK electric vehicle boom drives new car sales to 12-year high

February 14, 2017Charging, Electric Cars, Kia, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Soul EVTrevor Larkum

The number of new cars registered in the UK hit a 12-year high in January, with electric vehicles taking a record share of the market, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The industry body had warned of a slowdown in the motor trade in 2017 because of the impact of the weak pound, but there was no sign of deceleration in the first monthly numbers of the year.

Drivers registered 174,564 cars in January, up 2.9% on last year, to reach the highest monthly level since 2005, the trade body said.

Alternative fuel vehicles, mainly electric cars, such as the Nissan Leaf, increased by a fifth to reach a record 4.2% share of new vehicle registrations, beating a previous high of 3.6% in November last year.

EV charge points to boost Westminster air quality

February 1, 2017BP Chargemaster, Charging, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, POD Point, Pollution, Source LondonTrevor Larkum

The City of Westminster is to offer a greater number and variety of electric vehicle (EV) charging points available to drivers in the borough from early 2017.

The council announced yesterday (30 November) that from January 2017, charging points will be upgraded and up to 20 new outlets will be installed, including some rapid chargers.

The smart grid technology company BPL, under the Source London network, is putting in place a new model for electric charging, while Chargemaster is rolling out public charging network ‘Polar’.

PodPoint will be upgrading the equipment and the council will be working with new operators to increase provision for EV users across the borough. A new range of tariffs tailored for different users of different types of EV technology is being introduced by the operators.

Charging points will be upgraded and up to 20 new outlets will be installed

Westminster city council was the first local authority in the UK to launch on-street charging points for electric vehicles. It now has over 60 on-street charging points, with an additional 200 available off-street.

The council claims that the expansion of the EV network will also help its Marylebone Low Emission Neighbourhood and other air quality hotspots in the borough by reducing the emission of harmful pollutants.

Cllr Heather Acton, Cabinet Member for Sustainability and Parking, said:

“Poor air quality is a continuing problem for us in Westminster, but we’re doing all we can to help improve our environment through our Greener City Action Plan. This includes encouraging a switch away from diesel vehicles, with easy parking for electric vehicles and improving electric vehicle infrastructure, encouraging car club use as an alternative to a private car, reducing freight and waste vehicle movement, promoting more cycling and walking, eliminating vehicle engine idling and reducing emissions from buildings.”

Cllr Acton also explained that the authority is also trialling new measures within its Marylebone Low Emission Neighbourhood which “will help make real improvements to air quality in central London.” And, she added:

“Electric vehicles can help by cutting reliance on more polluting cars. The expansion of the EV network offers an improved service for those who need a vehicle.”

Pod Point Home Charger Installation

January 21, 2017Blog, Charging, Electric Cars, Hyundai, IONIQ Electric, POD PointTrevor Heale

[Friday 13th January] This post is about gratitude.

Thank you to the following organisations for covering the cost of my POD Point Home Charging Station – UK Government for the OLEV Grant and Hyundai for the balance.

A special heartfelt thank you to POD Point Installation Engineer Leighton for his fast, professional installation in such unpleasant circumstances.

This was the scene when Leighton arrived this morning (Image: T. Heale)

Leighton running cable to new trip (Isolation) switch in meter cupboard (Image: T. Heale)

The snow had eased off considerably by the time the next picture was taken.

It was still remarkably cold. I mean brass monkey cold. Trust me, I know cold. I’m a man in shorts all year round*

And here was this stranger disembowelling** my house.

Just over an hour after arriving and two coffees later the charger was in and I’d had a thorough briefing on using it. A very positive (no pun) experience from a professional company.

Thank you to all involved.

I have just heard from Hyundai Bletchley that my Owners Manual will be here soon. When It arrives I’ll post about the Ioniq’s charge timer function to use Economy 7 electricity.

BTW – The Ioniq eMotor? It is a fantastic machine. Pure pleasure to drive.

Bye for now. I’ll be in touch.

* Picture half a walnut
** Gralloching for you country types

Follow this link to Pod Points website for details:

http://charge.pod-point.com/homecharge/

Number of electric vehicles in Milton Keynes triples

January 13, 2017Charging, Electric Cars, Milton Keynes, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesTrevor Larkum

The number of electric vehicle (EV) users in Milton Keynes has tripled over the summer.

Electric charge point CMK (Image: One MK)

In January 2016, Milton Keynes Council was awarded Go Ultra Low City status which through funding support from central government for infrastructure is designed to increase the use of EVs in the city. The number has now increased from 220 in July to 661 by the end of September.

Milton Keynes has more than 170 standard and 56 rapid charging points, with more being installed in the near future.

July saw the launch of the new ‘Green Parking Permit’ for ultra-low EVs which allows them to park for free in purple bays, the red/black employee spaces (Mon-Fri) and in the specified EV spaces. To date, the council has issued 157 permits.

The Green Permit is free if your vehicle fits the criteria of producing 75g/km or less of CO².

Chargemaster, who run the vehicle charging points across MK, has recorded a four-fold increase in their usage.

These latest figures indicate that EVs are becoming more popular in MK and less of a niche choice by motorists.

Cllr Liz Gifford, cabinet member for transport said

“These latest stats are very encouraging and show that people are turning more and more to electric vehicles.”

“It’s important to us to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible and these ultra-low vehicles are the way to do just that.”

David Martell, chief executive of Chargemaster PLC, the operators of the Milton Keynes charging network commented:

“The policies of Milton Keynes Council encouraging electric vehicles are clearly working. By having a high quality network of charging points, low cost electric charging and with free parking in many areas Milton Keynes is a great place to own an EV.

“In addition, the new initiatives under the Milton Keynes Go Ultra Low plans will keep this momentum going helped by many new electric models coming along from key manufacturers like VW, BMW, Jaguar and Audi. This all bodes well for a high proportion of electric vehicles in Milton Keynes over the next decade which will keep emissions low and air quality at a high level.”