The Future of British Electric Transport

Cambridgeshire’s Silicon Fen, the home of ARCC Innovations, is an essential hotbed of research and development into future modes of transportation. With the government currently set on ending the sale of all new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles from December 31st 2029, this an important effort for enabling Britain to adequately replace the current ICE infrastructure and fleet with battery electric vehicle (BEV) counterparts.

For example, fellow Silicon Fen-business and Cofinitive’s ‘One to Watch’ shortlister, Echion Technologies, is busy developing superfast-charging Lithium ion batteries, for use in a range of applications but most importantly in BEVs. Such innovation is necessary if Britain wishes to compete in the global electric vehicle industry over the coming decades and we hope that sufficient funding will be made available to ensure that British battery research and development stays competitive.

Indeed, already international car manufacturers have made promises to electrify their entire fleets, including Ford and Volvo, who have both set 2030 as the target. Yet simply exchanging petrol and diesel vehicles for electric cars is not the ultimate solution for future transportation – while relatively better for the environment, personal electric vehicles are still too wasteful and demanding of both the environment and infrastructure.

The future of transport is in electric mobility, but in its micro- and multi-modal form: essentially a combination of public transport and active travel in bicycles, eBikes, etc. However, this point highlights an uncomfortable tension in the government’s current commitment to electric transport.

In Autumn last year, ARCC’s own BEV-related business, ARCC Bikes, highlighted the great steps British cycling had taken toward realising the 'Golden Age of Cycling' – bike sales were at an all-time high and there was strong momentum behind the government initiative of providing subsidies to the purchase of bicycles and eBikes as well as opening new cycle lanes.

Yet recent events in towns throughout the country have sadly followed the same disappointing trajectory: the closure of temporary bike lanes by local councils conceding to minority public pressure.

What had been important throughways for students and commuters returning to school and work were removed following complaints of increased motor traffic, poorer air quality and slower journey times generally. However, not only has their removal not improved congestion, but has had the opposite effect. For example, data collected by Bike is Best, the bike awareness campaigners, from TfL traffic cameras and Google artificial intelligence tools has shown that the space previously taken up by the cycle lane on Kensington High Street is now occupied by parked cards 63.6% of the time.

With the announcement last year of £2bn worth of subsidies for cycling, this roll back of essential cycling routes is concerning, especially in light of a report that this promised money falls far short of what is needed to meet the government’s own targets of doubling cycling and walking by 2025 anyway.

The subsidies that were promised for eBikes last year remain to be seen, and the government has also reduced grants for electric car buyers by £500, arguing that this means the funding will last longer and be available to more drivers.

That the public health crisis has meant money is extremely tight is very much appreciated, but if this electric vehicle renaissance is to be at the heart of the UK’s post-Covid transport plan, then deeds are needed over words. Moreover, predictions are that ICE vehicles will still be around for another 20 years following the ban; combined with this backpedalling on micro-mobility, Britain’s much-needed electric transition will only be prolonged.