Women ‘in Charge’: What we learned about the future of EVs

Last week, Steer’s Rethink Rooms event ‘Women in Charge’ highlighted the significant steps taken towards an electric vehicle (EV) future in the UK, and the decisions and implementations still to come. 

The evening saw our all-women panel of experts and industry insiders sharing valuable insights gained from decades of experience in this vital market. Lucy Kavanagh (Head of Environment and Future Mobility Analysis at the Department for Transport), Georgina Read (Strategic Marketing Director at Mobilise Power Solutions division of Renault Group), Rachel Knibbs (Regional Sales Director at Urban Fox Networks) and Priya Veerapen (Managing Director at Infracapital) all offered their knowledge on issues from global finance to local pavements while discussing the challenges and opportunities of a move to electrified transport.  

Below are some of our key takeaways: 

It’s about more than just a car: EVs and EV infrastructure bring together so many of the challenges we face for a more sustainable future and can unlock solutions beyond transport. As well as reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality, EVs offer huge opportunities in terms of data collection, grid stability, and boosting renewables. EVs by themselves are excellent products that consumers enjoy but we need to engage in whole system thinking to understand and realise their true value. 

Switching to electric is only the start: It’s easy to think of the EV transition as simply swapping out an internal combustion engine for a battery, but wider changes will be needed to make EVs a success. Charging infrastructure has to be smoothly implemented according to the ‘need curve’, innovative funding and finance models will be required to replace batteries and there remains huge potential for changing vehicle ownership and access. Buying an EV could be the start of a new way of driving. 

We need to bring people with us: The EV industry and the automotive industry overall have been on a journey in the last decade, particularly in light of the ZEV mandate from the UK Government. But while we have long been awake to an electrified future the general public need to be engaged further. In an environment saturated with myths and disinformation on EVs we need to ensure we have a coherent narrative to bring people with us on our EV journey. One that emphasises the lower emissions of EVs, their wider potential and their high-quality as a product. 

We need to spend money wisely: Both private and public money is heading towards EVs and EV infrastructure and there is a need to ensure it does not go to waste. On the topic of the upcoming Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding for local authorities in the UK, our panellists pointed out the need for proper data, local engagement and well-thought-through contracts to ensure that this much-needed injection of cash makes a long-term difference. 

We are not entirely ready: there remains much to do to equip ourselves to grow and sustain a charging network and EV ecosystem.  New competencies will need to be learned and processes changed if the network is to expand with agility.  Meanwhile, consistency in language, standards and approaches will make the ecosystem more intuitive and efficient for investors and users alike.

Thank you to all our panellists and everyone who joined online. 

To find out more about Steer’s pioneering work in the EV space, contact Alex Georgianna.

If you missed the event or wish to revisit any of the captivating discussions, you can watch the full event recording below.