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Government announces £12m funding to turbocharge UK’s Electric Vehicle transformation
October 1, 2020

Further funding from the government is promising for the development of electric transport technologies. Assisting the long-anticipated transition from traditional fuel to more environmentally friendly electric vehicles.

The UK Government has announced £12 million of new funding to support electric vehicle (EV) research projects. This funding will support the government’s commitment to driving down emissions and encouraging more UK drivers to make the switch to EV.

Moving towards the future 

With this additional funding researchers suggest the UK could soon see cars of the future benefiting from a six-minute battery charge. A great improvement from current rapid chargers- which take between 25 to 40 minutes.

 

Further to this a government-commissioned report from the Office for Low Emission has suggested green-coloured EV parking spaces and charge points at popular destinations could soon become an everyday reality for the country. Along with dedicated EV sites for buying and selling cars. 

Business free EV trial 

Through a £9.3 million scheme launched by Highways England businesses will be given the opportunity to try EVs for free for two months. This follows a successful launch with Leeds City Council earlier in the year.

 

This initiative is designed to encourage drivers to shift to cleaner, lower carbon vehicles and will see local authorities encouraging businesses with diesel van fleets to make the switch to electric. 

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Whether you’re taking a trip with the family or commuting to work, with the wide range of models at competitive prices, it is now more cost-effective and convenient than ever to drive and charge an EV.”

British Gas Business products

At British Gas we acknowledge the benefits of switching to electric, having adopted electric for our own fleet of cars in 2012. British Gas Business is a leading installer of EV charging points for businesses, providing the right equipment and energy tariffs to keep electric vehicles running.

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Balancing planet and profit during unprecedented market volatility

July 6, 2022
Balancing planet and profit during unprecedented market volatility

Why are energy prices high compared to a year ago?

By Vander Caceres • June 14, 2022
Wholesale energy prices have experienced unprecedented levels of volatility since the end of summer 2021, with both day ahead/spot and future contracts surging to all-time highs. In the last couple of months, prices have decreased but still remain high compared to a year ago. This period of high energy prices is expected to continue for the foreseeable future (see next section). Energy prices have surged for a number of reasons: A global increase in gas demand following the ease or end of Covid-related restrictions throughout 2021. After the pandemic, economies across the world started to recover. Asian countries like China saw their imports of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) increase. This resulted in lower LNG shipments to the UK and Europe. On the supply side, the Covid-19 lockdowns pushed some maintenance work from 2020 into 2021 at a time when demand was recovering. In 2021, gas production hit a record low of 363TWh, 47TWh below the previous record low in 2013. Low production was the result of an extensive summer maintenance schedule which saw shutdowns at several major terminals, as well as the Forties Pipeline System which serves a significant proportion of UK gas and oil production. A lack of wind in the summer resulted in higher demand for conventional power. European gas storage in 2021 and Q1’22 remained far below previous years and it’s unclear how these are going to be replenished in the summer given the concerns around supply including the potential suspension of Russian gas flows due to sanctions. The 1,234km offshore Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was designed to double the flow of gas between Russia and Germany (and by extension the rest of Europe) has been abandoned following the invasion of Ukraine. Gas storage in the UK is extremely minimal with capacity at less than 2% of the UK’s annual demand, compared with 22% for other European countries. Whilst the UK is not heavily reliant on gas coming from Russia, it sources almost half it’s gas supply from Europe. Hence, wholesale gas and power prices in the UK are now subject to knock-on-effects from the conflict in Ukraine.

What does volatility mean for your journey to net zero?

May 20, 2022
Amidst rising energy costs, digitalisation, growing pressure from stakeholders and increasing regulation, organisations may struggle to define their pathway to a low-carbon future. What can you do to protect your business’ net zero plans from the challenges of volatility? Disruption and volatility are putting organisations under pressure. Digitalisation and new technology developments continue to challenge existing business models. Its increasing dependence on energy and encouraging businesses to drive change to secure competitive advantage. And as customers, employees and shareholders look to engage with companies who understand the importance of decarbonisation, pressure is mounting to prioritise sustainability.
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