EVENT REVIEW
MOBILITY : ELECTRIFICATION BEGINS WITH EV INFRASTRUCTURE
EVENT REVIEW
PANEL DISCUSSION :
MOBILITY : ELECTRIFICATION BEGINS WITH EV INFRASTRUCTURE
Tackling the debates between public transport and personal passenger vehicles are two very good friends Sara Sloman , Chief Strategy Officer at Paythru , and Alex Gilbert , Head of Energy and E-Mobility at Transport for London .
It ’ s safe to say the pair really evangelise the history of public transport in London and the venue in which they were hosted , but the real conversation to focus on is one of acceptance and innovation .
As explained by Gilbert , “ the bit that gets interesting is [ marrying ] public transport with EVs , and getting the balance right .”
Sloman continued this point from Gilbert by further emphasising the speed at which the conversation has changed from many organisations being reluctant to shift , but then understanding where the trends are and the demands on them to invest more in electrical infrastructure .
“ I think there ’ s a balance between ‘ build it and they will come ’ or ‘ build it and shove them towards it ’— the carrot and stick principle ,” says Sloman . “ We ’ ve seen a huge surge in micro-mobility and public transport , and the direct result of clean air zones .
He touched upon the key point that acceptance of EVs is often a task for the public transport authorities and users , and vice versa , as all methods of transport have their place in the wider e-mobility ecosystem .
“ What gets really interesting is this kind of mobility-as-a-service , but these blurred lines of what will and won ’ t be public transport going forward ,” says Gilbert . “ It ’ s just not as easy as it used to be , but it means there is a role for everyone .”
44 [ March 2023 ] EVMAGAZINE . COM