Few local authorities making progress towards electric vehicles, finds report

A new report from IoT and connected transport specialist Geotab finds that there is a scant investment by local authorities in making the UK’s planned transition to electric vehicles (EVs) a reality.

The government has long been committed to pursuing new transport solutions in its quest towards Net Zero, and to reduce pollution in crowded city centres, where last-mile deliveries are a particular carbon-emissions problem.

However, despite central government’s mandate to end the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030, there is little investment in – or awareness of – the needs of EVs locally, according to the report, ‘Destination EV – Accelerating Local Authority EV Transition’.

Responding to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, 98 authorities provided data on their own progress towards establishing electric fleets.

The figures are alarming. Geotab found that 20 percent of authorities have yet to add a single EV to their fleets, while only four local authorities have fleets that have over 20 percent EVs.

Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) still operate fleets in which more than 90% of vehicles are petrol or diesel-powered. Indeed, the average electrification rate among all authorities is just 4.2 percent.

The survey found other problems too. For example, 54 percent of respondents have fewer than 50 EV charging points, including public, home and depot chargers.

Meanwhile, nearly half (46 percent) of authorities have yet to set a date by which they expect all their vehicles to be electric.

Barriers to progress cited by respondents include the high cost and limited availability of some types of EV, such as Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) and buses, along with limited resources available to support the transition.

“The findings demonstrate a worrying lack of investment by local authorities across England ahead of the switch to electric at the end of this decade,” said David Savage, Geotab Vice President UK & Ireland.

“Twenty-seven percent of the UK’s emissions are attributed to transport, and fleets account for over 50 percent of new vehicles on the road.

“Public sector fleet operators are in a position to lead this strategic shift by example. But they need the necessary investment, funding, and tools to support the transition to 100% electric.”