The BVRLA has written to Transport Minister, Rachael McLean MP, in response to her request for the association to submit recommendations ahead of a more formal consultation on charge points.
The minister was particularly keen to hear the BVRLA’s views relating to the four key areas of Payment, Data availability, Reliability and Pricing transparency.
In its response, the BVRLA made clear that many members and their customers will not have access to home charging therefore will rely heavily on a public charging infrastructure.
The main points made on the four areas include:
• Payment – A need for ease of payment and the ability to roam, ensuring interoperability across different charge point providers rather than having to use a multitude of apps. Also, there will need to be a fuel card equivalent way to charge.
• Data Availability - Access to data including the location of charge points, their availability, state of repair and pricing are all key. Crucial for our members is having one standard API to enable them to manage their fleets and tailor their back-end systems when using multiple providers. The current way of gathering data is unsustainable and there should be a mandatory requirement for charge points and vehicles to be compatible with ISO15118, which will become an important tool in managing retail fleets going forward.
• Reliability – This links to the point about data as information is currently often out of date or incorrect. Members and their customers will need to plan their journey in advance and know where they can charge. The BVRLA Road to Zero Report Card flagged the issue of Reliability as a top concern along with ease of payment and ability to roam. We also recommended that government should look at the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 as a means of enforcing reliability and maintenance standards.
• Pricing Transparency – This really critical. We asked government to consider signage but also raised the question about whether miles per minute is a better way to show pricing rather than kw/h. We also raised a question about whether there should be a review of pricing and a cap due to issues with the Ionity charge point provider in France.
Any questions on this issue should be directed to BVRLA Senior Policy Adviser, Catherin Bowen at [email protected]
