IET call on government and industry to ‘mind the gap’

Increased discussion and investment needed to meet emerging energy gap for electric vehicles

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), is urging the government and industry to engage in robust discussions on the UK’s emerging energy needs. The call comes as electric vehicle adoption is rising, and is set to continue.

With road transport currently accounting for 22 per cent of the UK’s CO2 emissions, reducing the UK’s reliance on carbon based fuels is a priority.

Dr. Tony Whitehead, Director of Policy at the IET, said, “Government and industry are driving adoption of low carbon transportation, which is a huge step in the right direction, however, discussions on the electric power generation capability are vital if the UK is to meet the new environmentally friendly behaviours that are being encouraged.”

A lecture will be held in Birmingham on 30th August, with the aim of exploring the issues that need to be met concerning wider electric vehicle adoption. The lecture, organised by the IET, is part of the 14th European Conference on Power Electronics and Applications. The evening’s talk, part of a series of lectures entitled ‘Electric Vehicles – the journey from power station to wheel’, will also cover the need for significant investment to meet the gap between needs and capability.

Speakers include Dr. Volker Pickert from Newcastle University, Steve Argent, Senior Consultant with ARUP, Dr Steve McDonald, National Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC), and Mark Basten from the University of Warwick.

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Notes to Editors

The Electric Vehicles lecture is organised by The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Power Generation, Conversion and Utilisation Network, and The IET Automotive and Road Transport Systems Network.

The IET’s series of lectures on “Electric Vehicles – the journey from power station to wheel” explores the relationship between the government’s current drive for low carbon transportation and the UK’s electric power generation capability.

Other lectures in the series took place on:
· 12 May 2010 – Solihull
· 07 October 2010 – Newcastle University
· 13 April 2011 – Manchester
 

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The IET is Europe’s largest professional body of engineers with over 150,000 members in 127 countries.

For more information, visit www.theiet.org

For further information contact

Belinda Webb
Commuications Officer
The IET
Tel: 01483 765608
Mobile: 07775 851853
Email: bwebb@iet.org