Scottish E-Mobility Clan

Interesting to see the 8 consultancies that have been added to the Welsh Govt's EVCI Framework Agreement including those that have expertise in location intelligence Arun Gopinath Jamie Duffy https://lnkd.in/ez4xiAf4

I'm after a wee bit of help from you good people. I'm involved in an Innovate funded project led by a London based start-up who are developing a new app that is designed to better connect EV drivers to places of interest that are a few miles off main highways and in proximity to charging stations. Places of interest can include farm shops, stately homes, country pubs. Basically anywhere that a solo driver or driver with passengers would like to spend a little time while the car chargers. Places that are more interesting than a service station. Locationally, the focus area for the project is North East England. On Jan 15th, the project team are running an online workshop that will bring together EV drivers, businesses based in semi rural and rural areas of the North East England, and EV industry professionals to discuss the current barriers and opportunities to develop a solution that provides a richer set of data via the app to EV drivers. A few places at the workshop are still availabe. I'm looking to add some more reps from NE England businesses operating in the hospitality or tourism sectors so if you happen to know of any please DM me.

This is an example of the tough conversations happening inside every Scottish Local Authority. On one hand, they want to electrify their fleets as quickly as possible but on the other, if there isn't the budget to do so over the next few years then the only alternative is to procure the most efficient diesel vehicles. Of course, this is a challene that Local Authorities across the UK are facing, not just Scotland. Larger battery electric commercial vehicles (>3.5 tonnes) aren't readily available or affordable, while the availability of smaller ones is contrained by availability as there is massive demand from fleet operators for electric vans. The Govt needs to a) accept this reality, and b) make a clear declaration over how they plan to address it either through more financial support or adjusting fleet decarbonisation timelines. https://lnkd.in/eFhcSEwu

Is this an example of a market failure? Any examples of similar issues in Scotland? Backstory is that the CPO who installed these charge points in council car parks in towns in North Yorkshire went bust before connecting them. The Council confirmed in a meeting last week that it will be June 2025 at the earliest before work to replace them will start due to procurement processes. Compounding the matter is the small matter of the now defunct CPO not sharing any specifications, user manuals or providing access to a back-office systems to the council. One bad apple on the tree or are we likely to see more in the future? https://lnkd.in/e-e8MUCM

Public EV Chargepoints with a view but how often will they be used? I'm particuarly interested in the installation of the 2 new chargers you can just about see through the car window. Reason being a couple of weeks ago my mother mentioned that she's spotted them being installed in a parking area directly across from the Arran Outdoor Centre (pic on the right) Here's the thing which got me thinking and worrying a little. The Arran Outdoor centre is located about 1 mile outside of the village of Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Quick backstory. About 20 odd years ago, my father and brother who run the family farm (Clauchlands Farm) sold the land to North Ayrshire Council who built the outdoor centre. It's a fantastic facility that is used by school kids from across Ayrshire and beyond who stay there and learn lots of outdoor activities including sailing. However, there's a real risk that it will close due to council cost cutting measures. It would be dreadful if that were to occur. Back to the charge points. Why would the council install them at this location? They are a bit out of the way being 1 mile outside of the village. The thinking may be that they will be used by people visiting the outdoor centre. However, what use is that if they close it. Perhaps it's anticipated that tourists will use them. I know well that it can get pretty busy during the summer. Campervan owners like to park there to enjoy the view over the bay to Holy Isle. Maybe locals who own an EV will charge it while they take their dog(s) out for a walk? I do plan to ask the council why they've installed them? However, my worry is that usage will be low over the course of a year. Welcome your thoughts on this. Arun Gopinath Jamie Duffy Andrew Stirling Shayne Rees Ian Beattie Matthew Jackson Paul Lindop Alex Reid MCIM

Good to see a new entrant to Scotland's rapidly growing EV Charging Infrastructure market with a strong proposition focused on supporting local businesses in proximity to their charging hubs and leveraging their expertise in renewables. https://lnkd.in/e9Nf3mbN

A tale of woe from Yorkshire as another CPO folds leaving the council up the creek without a paddle. It illustrates what can happen when councils ceed all control over the day to day management of their public chargepoints to the CPO. In this case, after the CPO folded, the council had no access to any backend services, manuals etc. I guess the moral of the story is that when councils and CPOs are setting up their contracts, their should be clear provisions that mitigate the risk of the CPO going out of business. While the council sorts things out, there are 24 CPs sitting idle and disconnected which isn't helpful to EV drivers seeking CPs in the area. Arun Gopinath Jamie Duffy https://lnkd.in/e4Ju55pC

We may not be the biggest community of e-mobility champions in the world, but that doesn't mean we haven't got a big contribution to make. If you're as passionate as I am then why not join this kick off Virtual Cafe where you'll have the chance to learn a little about the latest e-mobility developments inside and outside Scotland, connect or re-connect with fellow enthustiasts, and share a little bit of your wisdom with others. The plan is for this to be a monthly Cafe that takes place on the 1st Friday of every month, and for it to feature a short panel Q&A session featuring some of you good folks and others that I can russle up from my network. With this being the first one, we'll use it as opportunity to get your feedback on who and what you'd like to see discussed. I'd like the general vibe to be upbeat but open and honest. If you've got something on your mind that's bugging you then you're free to share as long as you do in a civil way. Feel free to share this event with any colleagues who may be interested in joining. I haven't as yet put a cap on numbers but will do if I see it morphing into a webinar rather than a more intimate event.

How big of an issue is EV charger cable theft going to be? Seemingly signicant judging by the current trends. The thiefs aren't stupid. They know that each cable contains copper wiring which is becoming increasingly valuable given demand for it to support the electrification of (somewhat ironically) vehicles and manufacture of wind turbines. It's good to know the steps are being able to deter this theft but dare say it's not going to stop it completely. The broader takeaway is that in the push to grow domestic stocks of copper, there needs to a co-ordinated national programme that 1) motivates consumers to recycle more e-waste, and 2) supports businesses to reduce the amount of copper they send to landfill, 3) develops more plants where the "waste copper" can be refined so it can be remanufacured into new products that support the e-mobility and renewables sectors. Scotland can if it chooses, take a lead role in all of the above. However, it needs committment to building awareness across the general public and businesses that copper is a strategic asset that is key to net-zero policies. Tom Anderson FOR EV Zero Waste Scotland https://lnkd.in/eVyTP6bf

Just a thought... This seems like a much needed and sensible use of money. If the people who want to be trained can't come to the place where the training currently takes place then taking the training to them. For hands on technical and engineering related training this needs to be done in-person in a workshop style environment so mobile units are the answer. The hubs featured in this annoucement are aimed at the construction sector. Should we be doing something similar for e-mobility given the number of techncians that will need to be trained across all parts of the country? https://lnkd.in/ea4fif97