EV#11.qxp_PR369_p35-45 13/03/2023 18:36 Page 4
NEWS
Councils to get EV guidance TTF EV Working Group to publish more advice
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The Transport Technology Forum’s Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Working Group is committing to producing further guidance designed to help council officers roll out the required infrastructure to keep pace with the adoption of EVs. The group of public and private sector experts attended a meeting in Newbury, Berkshire, where they heard that local authorities are a key stakeholder when it comes to delivering the roll-out of charging infrastructure and must fully understand and embrace the technology. The meeting heard that engagement with residents is vital when delivering a network that people want and accept. It heard that councils must keep engaging and explaining what they are doing, focussing on considerations and challenges around parking and traffic
Shamala Evans-Gadgil
regulation orders. The working group, which was set up by the Transport Technology Forum (TTF) to help local councils tackle the challenges around delivering charging networks for the anticipated huge growth in electric vehicles, has already published a starter guide for authorities to understand what they need to consider when it comes to delivering a charging network. The group’s chair, Shamala
Recharge Industries buys Britishvolt g
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Australia’s Recharge Industries has been successful in its bid for ownership of failed UK Gigafactory start-up Britishvolt. Recharge Industries is a portfolio company of Scale Facilitation and a provider of battery technology based in Geelong, Australia. The firm is currently developing Australia’s first large-scale lithium-ion cell production facility to provide recyclable batteries. It is also investing in research and development of next-generation solutions to real-world and emerging energy storage solutions. Under plans presented by Recharge Industries, the Britishvolt project will make the UK’s first gigafactory a reality. Britishvolt had planned to build a £3.8bn gigafactory to make electric car batteries at Cambois near Blyth, Northumberland. The facility was intended to supply EV batteries to the UK car industry. However, the company was put into administration after running out of money. David A Collard, founder and chief
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executive of Scale Facilitation, said: “We are thrilled to have been successful in our bid for ownership of Britishvolt; our plans are the right ones for the local community and the UK economy. “Our proposal combined our financial, commercial, technology and manufacturing capabilities, with a highly credible plan to put boots and equipment on the ground quickly. “Our technology, including an exclusive licence for the intellectual property and battery technology, has been developed and validated over the last decade through C4V in the US and will be the backbone of both gigafactories in Geelong and Cambois. “Backed by our global supply chain, strategic delivery partners and a number of significant customer agreements in place, we’re confident of making the Cambois Gigafactory a success and growing it into an advanced green energy project. We can’t wait to get started and want to start as soon as possible.”
Evans-Gadgil from Coventry City Council, committed to delivering more advice about delivering charging infrastructure from a local authority’s perspectives. “The TTF’s EV Working Group remains a key medium to deliver updates and outputs to local authorities around education needed in this space,” she explained. “The next step for the group will be to provide the further guidance on procurement, site
selection, consultation and delivery that we have committed to this year.” The meeting, held at Novuna Vehicle Solutions, was addressed by Dr Andrew Larkham from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). Among other things, he explained that the issue of charging is often exaggerated by drivers who tend to overestimate the mileage they drive, meaning they could use a vehicle on the market now without any range anxiety. Attendees also received advice on cyber security, site selection and strategy, while Novuna’s head of decarbonisation Jonny Berry busted a number of myths in a Q&A session which was facilitated by Alec Peachey, content director of the Local Council Roads Innovation Group and publisher of transportandenergy.com. The Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Working Group will deliver a further update during the TTF Conference in Leeds from 25-27 April.
Infinium Logistics acquires Banbury EV charging facility Infinium Logistics, a European asset management and logistics solutions business, has completed the acquisition of an EV charging facility let to Amazon in Banbury for £28m from Paloma Capital. The deal represents the second site secured for Infinium’s property investment platform, claimed to be the world’s first dedicated EV fleet charging real estate fund. Set close to the centre of Banbury and 1.7 miles from the M40 at Junction 11, the site sits on a principal arterial route between London and Birmingham. Arranged over 14.34 acres, the property comprises a 200,000 square foot warehouse operated as a 588space EV-ready fleet parking facility and let to Amazon, as well as a long-let Starbucks drive-thru. Infinium said the deal represented an opportunity to acquire a core South East distribution warehouse and EV car park which Amazon has invested in, together with further asset management potential.
Tom Gough, investment director, Infinium Logistics, added: “With a lease to a key tenant in Amazon, with whom we deepen our existing relationship, the property provides immediate income for our investors alongside a medium-term opportunity to add value through asset management. This acquisition demonstrates our ability to think outside of the (big) box and transact in a period of general market uncertainty. We look forward to working with market participants to acquire additional c.5-acre sites near major urban centres where we can develop specialised vancharging infrastructure that enable our tenants to transition to electric vehicles.”