French oil major TotalEnergies and electricity provider SSE have launched a new joint venture focused on electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in the UK and Ireland.
The two firms said the new business, Source, will be a “major player” with the goal of capturing a 20% share of the UK and Irish markets within five years.
To achieve this, Total and SSE said Source will deploy up to 3,000 high power charge points (150kW or more) group across 300 ‘EV hubs’.
Source will locate its charging hubs in “prime locations” in and around urban areas, with the chargers powered by renewable electricity from SSE and Total projects.
Several of these hubs are already under construction, with plans for “dozens more” in the development stage.
Decarbonising transport
Total and SSE said Source will provide “reliable ultra-fast” charging infrastructure needed to meet demand from EV drivers and fleet operators.
Under current UK plans set by the previous Conservative government, 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans will need to be zero emission by 2030, rising to 100% by 2035.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pushed back a previous target to ban new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030, a decision widely panned by industry leaders.
© BloombergThe incoming Labour government pledged to restore the 2030 phase out for cars in its election manifesto, although the industry is calling for more clarity on whether that applies to vans.
Meanwhile the Irish government wants to see one million EVs in the country by 2030.
However, there has been a slow uptake of EVs in the country so far, alongside failures to meet charging point deployment targets.
Source will ‘accelerate progress’
UK minister for the future of roads Lillian Greenwood welcomed the launch of Source, and said it has “great potential to accelerate the UK’s transition to electric vehicles”.
“This Government has made delivering greener journeys one of its top priorities for transport, and it’s by working together with industry that we’ll be able to boost consumer confidence through widespread, reliable electric vehicle charging – and achieve our shared goal of getting more electric vehicles on the road,” Greenwood said.
SSE managing director of enterprise Neil Kirkby said the launch of Source said SSE is “already playing a leading role” in decarbonising the UK and Ireland’s power system.
© Supplied by Hot Tin Roof“Now this agreement will help accelerate progress towards a decarbonised transport system too, ensuring the vehicles that keep the economy moving can do so in a more sustainable and efficient way,” he said.
Meanwhile, TotalEnergies senior vice president for new mobilities Mathieu Soulas said the firm is proud to contribute to decarbonising UK and Irish transport.
The French firm already operates more than 55,000 charge points around the world, and Soulas said the joint venture is a “great opportunity to extend our network”.
“We want to offer our customers – passenger cars and fleet alike – a nationwide, ultra-fast and reliable charging service that allows them to travel efficiently with complete peace of mind,” he said.
According to the International Energy Agency IEA, manufacturers sold nearly 14 million EV worldwide in 2023.
The share of EVs in total sales increased from nearly 4% in 2020 to around 18% in 2023, with the IEA forecasting further growth this year.
Based on current policies and trends, the IEA said the rollout of EVs will avoid the need for nearly six million barrels of oil per day by 2030.
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