The UK Royal Academy of Engineering exposed weaknesses in
British alternative fuel policies in a report issued last week. The report
entitled Electric Vehicles: Charged with
Potential addresses specifically the future rollout of electric vehicles in
the United Kingdom. Researchers from Prodrive, KEMA Consulting and Bath
University found that the UK’s supply of eco-friendly fuel supplies was among
the lowest in Europe. To increase the sustainability of this supply, Electric Vehicles proposes myriad
solutions including plug-in hybrids, nuclear power plants and wind farms.
The report’s authors noted four technical limitations to a
broader EV rollout in the United Kingdom. Electric vehicles will not be
feasible in the UK without batteries that mix affordability with long charging
lives. Communities throughout the UK lack charging units in public lots and
street spaces needed for impromptu EV charges. The UK Royal Academy of
Engineering also found that networks for distributing electricity produced in
an eco-friendly way are insufficient for daily EV needs. By the same token,
regional utility grids do not have smart charging units and billing mechanisms
needed for cost-effective EV use.
Electric Vehicles is
heavy on recommendations to remedy these road blocks to EV use in the UK. The
primary recommendation in the report is a comprehensive EV adoption policy spanning
the next generation created by the national government. The UK Royal Academy of
Engineering also wants public and private partners to develop an integrated
system for EV use. This system would include smart utility grids, low-emissions
energy production and incentives for EV acquisition. The academy also wants
the automotive industry to develop standards for EV charging while utilities
create billing mechanisms for public charging. To set all of these
recommendations in motion, the report notes that more research needs to be done
to reduce the hurdles to quick-charging mechanisms and high-capacity batteries.
We cannot assume that the United Kingdom is alone in the
types of technical hurdles addressed in Electric
Vehicles. Canada and the United States can simply amplify these problems to
show the progress needed for widespread EV use. The United Kingdom may be able
to coordinate a national EV policy and set its components in motion in short
order due to its compact size. As larger nations address the issue of EV adoption, it will be critical for regional solutions and public-private partnerships to succeed. The issue of
geography should not be a roadblock for regions like North America with substantial research capabilities and
capital funding.
