Why are we obsessed with re-inventing the wheel?

As Coventry City Council, Warwick District Council, Jaguar Land Rover, Coventry University, and University of Warwick look to "re-invent the wheel" so to speak when it comes to Batteries and Electric Vehicle Battery technology, what else are councils and universities doing across the UK doing by wasting money on trying to re-invent something that already in place instead of looking how to develop/create partnerships with companies elsewhere that already have created a business on these ideas?

When you look at China, they have companies that are already producing Solar Panels, Electric Batteries and Battery Storage solutions - so why not work in partnership to create similar plants here?

If you look back to the 1960's and 1970's, the UK had a Milk Industry where people had their milk delivered in bottles to their homes via an Electric Milk Float.

Yet, did you know, that the UK has electric vehicles since the 1890's meaning that we have had/played around with Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) or Electric Vehicle (EV) technology for around 130 years, yet now the new UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) being developed in Coventry is being hailed as the "latest brand new shiny technology" but why?

If you look back at reports, in August 1967, the UK Electric Vehicle Association put out a press release which stated that the UK had more BEV's/EV's on the road than not just any other country int eh world but all the countries across the world combined - the surprising fact was that all these BEV's/EV's were actually Milk Floats!

The UK car industry is having to change to meet the changes in petrol and diesel vehicle manufacturing yet the Government, Councils and Universities across the UK are wasting money on things like the Faraday Challenge, research in battery technology etc instead of investing in the infrastructure!

The question is, after again losing our way as a market leader in automotive and battery technology, why are we looking years later, looking to invent all this as if it's the latest new thing?

We should be looking to Japan, South Korea and more importantly China, as to how we can partner with the companies to start production here - especially the infra-structure production.

If the Government and Councils don't make it mandatory that all new houses, housing estates, offices/commercial premises and office/retail/business parks are to be constructed 100% with EV Charging Points and are constructed with Photocell, Solar Panel and Solar Roof Tiles included as part of planning permission, we are going to be wasting money for years and decades to come.

Off the back of the above, the infrastructure needs to be in place to share the surplus power generated as well as the introduction Kinetic and Solar Pathways, Cyclepaths and Roadways which will further create power.

If we really start to actually deliver this, this will have a huge on the Social Economics of the UK and really impact on Climate and Environment Issues that we have created for decades - it's time we changed and started to embrace and implement SDGs.

Ian Calvert is a Business Analyst and Consultant who works across the sectors of AI, CSR, Future of Work, Futurism, IIoT, IoT, Influence, Influencer Marketing, Mobile Technology, Reality Technology, Social Business, Social Influence, SDG, SDGs, Solar Energy, Smart Energy and Technology.

To learn more as to how Ian can help you and your business, please connect with him here and start planning to bring the Future into your business today.