Garo spoke with PEW about the rise in popularity of EV charging and how and why there is so much growth in the market.

In November 2018 there were 18,414 charging points across 6,372 locations in the UK. Fast forward a year and it stands at just over 27,000 charging points across nearly 10,000 locations. The tipping point has arrived as the government makes solid financial commitments to the charging network and companies realise that they should react to market shifts.

The UK Government launched the ‘Road to Zero’ strategy in July 2018 with an overarching mission for at least 50%, and as many as 70%, of new car sales to be ultra low emission by 2030, alongside up to 40% of new vans. The plan pledges to enable a massive roll out of charging infrastructure to support this aim. This includes working towards requirements for charging points to be built in new homes and new lampposts to include charging stations. A £400m charging investment fund will facilitate the growth of this infrastructure, providing funds to new and existing companies who produce and install charging points. Grants for workplace charger installation will be increased in value so that people can charge at work.

Rapid growth

There are now more charging point stations in the UK than there are petrol stations. Fast and rapid chargers have experienced the strongest growth. However, with a goal of 1 million EVs by the end of 2022, the network needs to keep a solid pace to ensure overall targets can be reached. In August, the UK’s transport secretary, Grant Shapps, announced an additional £2.5 million in funding towards the installation of EV charging infrastructure. The funds will be used to install over 1,000 new street-side charging points on roads around the country and will bring the UK government’s total outlay in the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme to £5m.

Garo facilities

Over the 18 months, EV Manufacturer & Distributor Garo Electric has completed installations across a number of high profile organisations and facilities including Facebook, Musgraves, Abbott, Eli-Lilly, Universities, County Council Offices, Shopping Centres and more. In Sweden, Garo’s EV Chargers have been placed in Volvo Car’s R&D facility, Charge and Drive Highways Norway, all Swedavia Airport Car Parks, Sweden’s Green Highway, McDonalds and multiple energy utility companies and service stations. GARO’s Birmingham and Belfast locations are centrally based to offer quality service across the UK.

Commercial organisations are recognising two core benefits to EV adoption – increased custom and employee attraction. Up to 50% of households in the UK do not have off-street parking and rely on public networks to restore their supply. In the race for talent, EV Charging facilities are one more way for companies to differentiate with employee benefits whilst also demonstrating their green credentials. On the business side, offering the amenity of charging will encourage customers to stay longer (and spend more) at their premises while their cars charge. Furthermore, businesses can demonstrate their green credentials by branding GARO EV Chargers with their own logos and colour schemes.

Product evolution

GARO has constantly evolved its products with the needs that have been demanded by the market. The strongest and most topical example of GARO evolving its products with the times is notable in its EV charging range. GARO has been manufacturing ‘Car Heater Stations’ for the Nordic region over the last 40 years. This product allows the car owner to connect their car to an AC supply to enable the car to pre-heat oil, water and air in the main cabin of the car – a necessary function due to low temperatures in the Nordic region. For GARO the development of EV Charging stations was not the quantum leap that it was for other manufacturers, it was a natural next step working from its established expertise in this space.

GARO backs all products with significant warranties, with EV Charging Stations coming with a three year warranty.

The numbers

Despite significant Brexit uncertainty, the UK has seen a sizeable increase of 38% in EVs registered YTD (end Sept) compared to the same time last year. Within the category we can see that Hybrid EVs are the most popular option with 4.2% of the overall new car market, followed by Battery EVs with 1.3% share – a sector of increase of over 122% this year.

According to the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders), the increase is in line with the latest forecast for this sector, currently expected to rise to around 177,000 units by the end of the year. 86,000 of these cars are expected to be low emission plug-in hybrids and battery electrics – taking plug-in market share to around 3.7% as an ever-increasing number of models come on sale.

Wholesale benefits

As referenced in this article, the market is driving increased demand so it is the right time to partner with reliable, established EV Charging manufacturers that will provide the full range of options for a wide variety of customers.

Given the complexity and freshness of the products involved, information and training are an important add-on for wholesalers stocking these types of products. GARO Electric provides in-branch training mornings to demonstrate the range and allow for Q&A from attendees. Before the end of 2019 GARO will also launch a full online learning/CPD platform for anyone looking to install their Electric Vehicle Charging products. Users will be able to access the learning resources on their own time from whatever location suits them around the country.

New beginnings

GARO Electric announced the opening of its new facility in Birmingham from in November 2019. Its extensive product range is being supplied to a large network of electrical wholesalers across the UK. A full range of EV Charging Stations is available to the wholesale market. Using this extensive industry expertise, its product ranges are continually evolving to respond to changes in the market. As new regulations come online, product offerings are expanded to ensure compliance and choice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

For more information on the EV charger range from GARO, click here.