Public recharging for electric vehicles : the business model challenge

Abstract

The thesis investigates how to increase public electric vehicle (EV) recharging provision at the early-market stage when financial returns are poor. Mass adoption of EV is required to reach the UK’s carbon emission reduction target, however the scarcity of public recharging infrastructure is seen as a major barrier to uptake. Longitudinal public recharging data required to make informed infrastructure investment and policy decisions is lacking. This research captures and analyses nine years of recharging data to address this gap. The performance of North East England’s (NE) recharging network was analysed and compared with a UK-wide network using recharging event, infrastructure cost and revenue data. The relationship between EV sales and public recharging was investigated using vehicle registration data, and future adoption and recharging demand forecasts were created for the NE region. Preference data was collected from drivers and stakeholders using questionnaires and workshops to investigate their requirements and wider objectives for public recharging. The UK EV market is at the earliest Innovators stage in the Diffusion of Innovations cycle. Public recharging demand was found to be low in all real-world scenarios studied and introducing fees for recharging reduced demand further. Low recharging demand provides a poor financial return for recharging networks, which limits further investment. EV drivers reported a preference for rapid charging services, but with only a low willingness to pay. Stakeholders reported a range of dissimilar objectives governing their actions, including environmental and social benefits not captured within traditional financial models. Exploring broader non-financial measures to justify public recharging provision required diverse stakeholder analysis and qualitative research investigating stakeholders’ perceptions of recharging infrastructure value. The research concludes that social and environmental value could be used to assist in recharging investment decisions to improve our environment now and for future generations, but further work is required to determine appropriate indicators.