EV Insights - Key Take Aways from Car Fest 2024

The recent CarFest 2024 was a landmark event for the electric vehicle industry. It fostered crucial discussions about the future of sustainable transportation at the EV Cafe marquee, which stood prominently on the festival landscape.

Preparing for Mass Adoption

One of the most critical discussions I listened to at Car Fest centred around grid readiness and renewable energy integration. John Fairlie from AW Group and Abigail Middleton from 施耐德电气 , who provided valuable insights into how the electricity grid will cope with the increasing demand for EVs.

The Key Points from their session:

• The grid is evolving to support mass EV adoption
• Renewable energy will play a crucial role in powering our electric future
• Smart charging solutions are being developed to balance grid load

Addressing infrastructure challenges will pave the way for smoother, more widespread EV adoption.

Bridging the Knowledge Gap

Car Fest served as an important platform for public education. Many people in the sector dislike this phrase, as it can sound pompous, which is not what I mean to be at all.

But how do you share knowledge other than via education? Back in the days of the Green Cross Code Man or the Tufty Club (yes, I am that old), we had Public Information Campaigns to educate people on the dangers to children when they cross the road. The Green Cross Code campaign even came back a few years ago due to more people crossing roads with headphones on!

To me, helping people understand the truth about the electric vehicle transition is about education and public awareness. It's also about making sure that the public knows that what they are hearing is the truth and not some misguided nonsense put out by the press.

Hopefully, we will have this kind of campaign in the future. In the meantime, The EV Café team did a sterling job of bringing a number of important subjects out of the usual “EV bubble” and ensured they weren’t just preaching to the converted.

During one of the sessions I sat in on, we heard evidence of what people “think” is the truth about the transition to electric vehicles when it's not true at all.

A member of the public asked why all petrol and diesel cars were going to be banned in 2035 (likely returning to 2030) and how this could happen.

The truth that the EV Cafe ( as well as myself, and Gary Comerford after the session) explained to him was that the ban applies to brand-new petrol and diesel vehicles being sold from 2035.

Anything sold before that date that is already on the road can stay on the road. There is nothing stopping anyone from driving one for many years afterwards, although at some point, moving to an EV will be a sensible choice, so there will naturally be fewer combustion engine vehicles on the road anyway.

Events like Car Fest are vital in reaching a broader audience and addressing these concerns head-on. Continued public education is essential for accelerating EV adoption.

The Path Forward

The event highlighted the gradual nature of the transition to EVs.

As the EV market matures, we can expect increased accessibility and affordability, making electric vehicles a viable option for a broader range of consumers.

Congratulations to the EV Cafe for making the transition something the public at Car Fest heard about from a group of very honest and extremely passionate individuals and their guests.

Thanks for reading

Liz