EDF appointed to help UK public sector transition to electric vehicles

Published by

Nicky Godding

EDF Energy, which has a major site at Barnwood, Gloucester has been appointed by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) to help the public sector switch to electric vehicle (EV) fleets.

The agreement covers contracts to support the creation of charging infrastructure required for electric vehicles (EVs) across the UK as it moves towards the 2050 net zero emissions target. It provides customers in central government, local authorities, hospitals, and other public sector bodies with access to products and services to support the installation of infrastructure, such as charge points.

The agreement will support public sector bodies to develop the infrastructure needed to enable the widespread use of electric vehicles, such as for public sector fleets and their workforce, home charging, and vehicle charging facilities which provide a service to the general public in locations such as on-street residential areas and off-street car parks.

To deliver this infrastructure, EDF will work with Pod Point - one of the largest suppliers of EV charging points in the UK, and which was acquired by EDF earlier this year.

In March 2020, the government published a vision for developing the EV charging network in line with its commitment to support the growth of green, zero emission technologies and help the UK end its contribution to climate change. It aims to bring forward the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition is feasible. Extensive public charging infrastructure across the UK is a key part of this transition.

As of September 3, according to Zap-Map, the total number of locations which have a public charging point installed is 12178, the number of devices at those locations is 19352 and the total number of connectors within these devices is 33662. There have been 476 new devices added to the Zap-Map database over the last 30 days which equates to 762 new connectors.

Vincent De Rul, Director of EV Solutions at EDF, said: “This appointment further underlines EDF’s role in helping Britain achieve net zero. The installation of effective electric vehicle charging infrastructure is vital to enable progress towards this goal. We are looking forward to continuing to work with government and public sector customers to help deliver the infrastructure that the UK needs.”

This agreement marks the second live contract for public sector works between EDF and the Crown Commercial Service, having already been appointed for electricity supply and ancillary services.

EDF is the UK’s largest producer of low-carbon electricity, meeting around one-fifth of the country’s demand and supplying millions of customers with electricity and gas.

It generates low carbon electricity from eight nuclear power stations, more than thirty onshore wind farms and two offshore wind farms, and operates one of Britain’s biggest battery storage units, one gas and one coal power station, EV charge-points, and combined heat and power plants.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.