Monday Musing: Why the parking sector is ideally placed to support the path to Net Zero

If you read my previous post on EVs you’ll know that switching to Electric Vehicles (EV) has both economic and environmental costs that we all need to be aware of.

But that isn’t an excuse to do nothing and continue on as we are. In this post I want to look more closely at what the UK government is doing to support the move to EV and how it aims to achieve its target for the UK to become net-zero carbon by 2050.

With the wider transport sector, including parking, currently the largest emitting sector of the UK economy, responsible for 27% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions (with cars being responsible for 55% of those emissions), there is much to do.

How is government acting?

An increase in EV uptake and mass switching to cleaner fuels is seen as one of the most important factors in reducing emissions. The UK government has committed to banning the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles from 2030, with only fully zero-emission vehicles allowed for sale from 2035 - an ambitious target, with only roughly 1% of all licensed vehicles being EV’s at the end of 2020. This figure is growing, with 2020 seeing more new Battery Electric cars registered for the first time in 2020 than in all previous years combined. In 2020, across all new alternative fuel car registrations in Great Britain, there were 164 thousand Hybrid Electric (HEVs), 107 thousand Battery Electric (BEVs), 67 thousand Plug-in Hybrid Electric (PHEVs), and fewer than 1 thousand using other alternative fuel types.[1]

One way of encouraging greater uptake of EVs is by increasing the number of charging points: since 2011, the number of EV charging points per 100km of road has increased from 42 to 570 in 2019. Job done right? Unfortunately not, research from the Committee for Climate Change suggests 1,170 charge points will be required per 100 km of road by 2030 and this is despite the expectation that the majority of charging will take place at home.  The UK government aims to have a globally recognised EV charging network and has committed to supporting this with £1.3 billion funding for the strategic road network; homeowners; local authorities (for on-street charging);  and workplaces, alongside regulatory changes.

What can the parking sector do?

Some potential approaches were set out in the Connected Values[2] report by Sussex University on behalf of the BPA, which sets out how the sector can scale up its charging network and play a proactive and strategic role in the electrification of transport.

This is because aside from residential parking, most EV charging points in the UK have been installed in public car parks (44.8%) and retail car parks (34.3%). Meanwhile, research from ZapMap[3] showing that EV drivers make choices on where to visit and stay based upon the availability of EV charging at these destinations.

There is also further potential to combine EV charging points with active travel choices and mobility hubs. This is being supported by the BPA’s own Park Active initiative which aims to improve public health, reduce congestion, bring down pollution levels and provide support for high streets and city centres, by encouraging people to park their cars and complete their journey on foot or by cycling. Due to their strategic locations in urban areas where space may be limited, car parks are ideal locations for renewable energy generation projects, such as solar power generation.

As society becomes increasingly data driven, the parking sector can provide important information and insights into where people are travelling, how they are travelling, how long they stay, and the reasons for their journey e.g., commuting, shopping habits (for essential and non-essential items). They are key exchange points in the operation of society and the data, if collected properly, can help determine the organisation of a range of services including EV charging.

Get involved

The parking sector is ideally placed to support the path to Net Zero through the use of car parks for active travel, the integrated use of data to help urban planning, and the strategic use of car parks for both EV charging and remote power generation. The possibilities are limitless, so please explore some of them in our Resource Library visit the Park Active website or get in touch with us to find out more at research@britishparking.co.uk

[1] Department for Transport Vehicle licensing statistics 2020: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/985555/vehicle-licensing-statistics-2020.pdf

[2] Connected Values report https://www.britishparking.co.uk/Resources/Connected-Values

[3] Connected Values report https://www.britishparking.co.uk/Resources/Connected-Values