Electric car charging points: new opportunities in aluminium

With the number of electric cars on Britain’s roads sky-rocketing, it’s time for the number of charging points to play a serious game of catch-up. Britain’s growing electric fleet Up and down the country, we’re seeing charging points for the growing number of electric vehicles on our roads springing up. Town centre car parks, multi-storeys, service stations and supermarkets – most of us will have come across at least a few of these (infuriatingly well located!) spaces with their silver and black charging points. Back at the beginning of 2014, there were only 500 electric vehicles registered in the UK. Fast forward to 2018 (and it has been seriously fast) and there are 170,000 electric vehicles buzzing along Britain’s roads. There are now more than one million electric cars in Europe, a number we’re expected to reach in Britain alone by 2020, new research has found. The report, by Emu Analytics, has found that we’ll need a staggering sixfold increase in the current number of electric vehicle charging points across the country in order to accommodate the growing electric fleet. The current state of things While electric vehicle charging points are a relatively common sight now, the fact is that we’re still lagging woefully behind when it comes to establishing an adequate infrastructure for green drivers. In the UK, only 3% of supermarkets have charging points. ASDA offers the highest number, with electric charging stations at 19% of its stores. The numbers are dragged down by Tesco, however: a woeful 0.4% of its stores cater to electric vehicle drivers. Petrol stations, crucially, are also underprepared for the electric car boom: there are only 1,500 rapid electric vehicle chargers at UK petrol stations, able to accommodate a total of 3,400 vehicles. When you compare this to the total number of petrol stations – 9,000 – each with multiple pumps, it’s obvious that something needs to change. Electric cars: driving the demand for aluminium With the UK government having pledged £440m to improving the infrastructure around electric vehicles, local authorities devising plans for Clean Air Zones, and the Plug-In Car Grant attracting new buyers to the electric car market every month, it’s clear that getting involved in this could mean big business. Here at Edmo, we’re able to provide the aluminium extrusions, and fabrication and finishing services, needed by charging station manufacturers. Lightweight, hardwearing and easy to fabricate, aluminium is the preferred material for both components and the housing of electric car charging stations. There can be no doubt, then, that the electric car revolution will drive the demand for extruded aluminium. We invite manufacturers in the electric vehicle-related industries to visit us here at Edmo, and to discover the complete extrusion and fabrication service we can offer. From sourcing extrusions to powder coating and shipping, we work with a global network of trusted suppliers to deliver a real ‘one-stop shop’ approach that’s competitive on speed and price. Discover our aluminium extrusion fabrication services or contact Darren Henry to make a no-obligation appointment.