The Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) England have announced Board Director Warren Philips as the new Chairman of the Board. Phillips, who takes over from Bridget Phelps, is a founding Director of EVA England and has been the EV Network and Community Lead.
Phillips is a founding member of EV Groups Nexus, the online network of UK electric vehicle (EV) drivers clubs and currently co-runs the Sussex EV group. He is an electric vehicle and renewables advocate and his day job is as IT solutions specialist.
Bridget Phelps, former EVA Chairman of the Board, said: “I would like to thank you for your support and help to EVA England in the two years since my colleagues and I started our community interest company. We are so grateful to all those who have joined us and helped us, and so pleased at the growth of zero emissions vehicle sales during this time.”
EVA have held regular meetings with companies and representatives of the UK government departments responsible for the promotion of zero emissions vehicles and charge point infrastructure. They have also raised issues from our members and electric vehicle (EV) drivers to these departments.
EVA also responded to the government consultation onending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans, advocating for a 2030 phase-out date based on a survey of over 1000 electric vehicle drivers and their experience.
Phelps continued: “We organised a survey in response to the government’s consumer experience of EV charge points consultation last year and called for a number of the improvements needed in our response on behalf of over 1,000 EV drivers.
“These included simplified payment systems, clear and agreed pricing, improved reliability of charge points, improved signage and accessibility in general, and access to more open data in our response to the government and we are very pleased to see these improvements being progressed by Government through regulations this summer.
“We are very pleased to be involved in the Government’s work to implement the LEVI funding – a crucial part of the improved infrastructure needed by EV drivers across all parts of England, particularly those without access to their own chargers on driveways. “
EVA have also worked to improve accessibility being represented on the steering committee of the BSI project sponsored by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and Motability looking at accessibility of electric vehicle charge points.
Phillips concluded: “We have been active participants in the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce (EVET) Working Group 2 looking at consumer redress issues for EV drivers and are now in EVET Working Group 3 which is working to make recommendations for improved consumer redress, and how to promote EVs and smart charging to the public. We are also so pleased to be members of the Green Finance Institute’s Coalition for the Decarbonisation of Road Transport.
“We have also given talks and advice at various events in England, particularly the two recent Fully Charged Live events, formed the EV Alliance of UK and Ireland with partners from Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Ireland, as well as meeting with European and a network of EV associations globally – organising with them an EV rally to COP 26 to promote faster global transport decarbonisation. We frequently comment and promote the benefits of EVs in the media and on social media.”