ADD2501 GLA Group EV Infrastructure Requirements Study

1.1. The Mayor’s London Environment Strategy sets out targets for the Greater London Authority (GLA) Group fleets for achieving zero emission, to lead by example in London’s ambition to improve air quality and mitigate against climate change. The GLA Group is the:

• Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (oversees the work of the Metropolitan Police Service),

• the London Fire Commissioner (responsible for providing London’s fire and rescue service, the London Fire Brigade),

• Transport for London (TfL),

• the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC),

• and Old Oak Common and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC).

The OPDC do not have a fleet, and LLDC have two cars which are both electric. The Mayor’s target of a zero emission city also means that other public sector bodies with fleets are seeking to transition their fleets to zero emission.

1.2. These organisations have commenced switching their fleets to zero emission in particular electric vehicles (EV) and have installed EV charge points on the GLA Group estate to support the electrified fleets. Each of them have carried out initial assessments of their charging infrastructure requirements to support this initial uptake in EVs. However, to provide further charging infrastructure that supports a wider electrification of their fleets using the most effective technologies has not been conducted. Other public sector body fleets, including the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London’s NHS Trusts, are starting to explore how to electrify their fleets.

1.3. All of these organisations share similar challenges with electrification. They have large fleets (ranging between one hundred vehicles to thousands of vehicles) with a range of vehicle types, that operate from depots across the city. They each have emergency response vehicles and non-emergency vehicles that are often bespoke vehicles, which require charging solutions that are likely to differ from those available to the public, and will require access to charging infrastructure at their fleet depots and across the city to ensure the fleets can operate their London-wide service. They all experience similar energy constraint issues at their estate, resolving this issue will be crucial in providing viable infrastructure solutions. The fleet managers have identified that there is opportunity to save in costs, time and resources if the fleet managers pursue a joint EV infrastructure study which realises the charging requirements and charging solutions for all the fleets. This is not only an opportunity for GLA Group to make savings and progress with achieving the Mayor’s target, but also presents an innovative approach for collaboration across the public sector in realising the Mayor’s objectives in improving air quality and mitigating against climate change.

1.4. The GLA are best placed to lead and coordinate this joint study as the GLA oversees the progress of the GLA Group fleets and have identified an expert consultant to carry out this study. The participating GLA Group members will contribute funding to support this study and seek a contribution from the GLA to also part-fund the works relating to the GLA Group. The other public bodies will also participate in this study and contribute to costs to cover the assessment of their fleets. This decision seeks approval for the participation of the GLA in this study and provide funding of up to £30,000 from the GLA’s 2020/21 budget to fund an expert consultant to carry out the joint EV infrastructure requirements study for the GLA Group fleets, and other public body fleets.

1.5. This decision form also requests a related exemption from the requirement of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code, to commission the above services without procuring competitively. The selected consultant is Element Energy, which has been chosen due to their experience with delivering EV charging projects for the GLA and TfL and this study is a continuation of a piece of these previous works and cannot be separated from these previous works. Previous works include TfL’s Rapid Charging Hub study that identified potential sites for rapid charging hubs of more than six charge points, and the GLA Collaboration Programme work that assessed the potential for public rapid charging on GLA Group land. Through these two projects, Element Energy developed a modelling tool specific for mapping the GLA Group’s charging opportunities and understanding London’s EV charging demands and energy constraints. Element Energy have worked with UK Power Network on multiple projects and have direct access to understanding London’s energy grid constraints that can be applied to this study. This will be vital experience for this joint EV infrastructure study as all the public sector body fleets experience energy constraints at their depots and will need to understand the viable solutions for overcoming this energy barrier.

1.6. Using Element Energy will enable the GLA to secure significant savings due to the knowledge, existing model and relevant toolkit that Element Energy already have from working closely with the GLA and GLA Group on their EV infrastructure delivery strategy. In particular, working with Element Energy enables the study to align with the new GLA EV Infrastructure Delivery Programme that is currently being designed (which is the continuation of the GLA Collaboration Programme work undertaken by Element Energy), and a Single Source Justification is being progressed in parallel to this ADD.

2.1. The objective of this decision is to support the GLA Group fleets and the other public sector body fleets identify readily available electric vehicle infrastructure solutions to enable the fleets to effectively, affordably and quickly switch to zero emission vehicles, in line with achieving the Mayor’s air quality and climate objectives. Supporting the electrification of GLA Group fleets as well as other public sector body fleets helps reduce air pollution, protect public health and provide greater confidence that legal limit values for nitrogen dioxide will be achieved by or before 2025 in line with the UK Air Quality Plan (2017). It also tackles the climate emergency. This work will also inform and support wider collaboration work underway through the GLA Group EV Infrastructure Delivery Programme.

2.2. Element Energy is expected to work closely with the participating bodies to assess the charging requirements using the model they developed for previous GLA studies as well as on site assessments, carry out market research of available infrastructure solutions including engagement with the energy sector to address energy constraint issues, and deliver a report setting out the fleet’s EV infrastructure requirements and deliverable infrastructure solutions.

3.1. The Mayor and GLA are subject to the “public sector equality duty” contained in s 149 of the Equality Act 2010. This duty requires each body to have due regard to three outcomes when exercising their functions: (1) the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation; (2) to advance equality of opportunity between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not; and (3) to foster good relations between such people.

3.2. There is currently significant exposure of the London population to air pollution. Although this exposure is predicted to have declined significantly, current modelling results show that in 2019 there are still tens of thousands of people living in locations with average nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels above the EU legal limit value. Furthermore, only 1 per cent of London meets World Health Organization recommended guidelines for PM2.5.

3.3. Populations living in the most deprived areas are on average currently more exposed to poor air quality than those in less deprived areas. An independent report by Aether published by the GLA showed that those people living in the most deprived areas were on average exposed to 24% more nitrogen dioxide air pollution than those living in the least deprived areas. Concentrations of NO2 were on average between 16 and 19 per cent higher in areas where non-white people were most likely to live compared to areas where white people were most likely to live.

3.4. Supporting the GLA Group fleets to switch to zero emission vehicles is considered likely to be beneficial for groups with protected characteristics as it contributes towards improving air quality in London. The Aether report showed that while everyone will benefit from improved air quality, those living in the most deprived areas would benefit the most on average.

a) Risks and issues

b) Links to Mayoral Strategies and priorities

London Environment Strategy

4.1. The Mayor’s London Environment Strategy was published in May 2018 and prioritises reaching legal air pollutant levels as soon as possible by the most effective route through a number of proposals. One of the core principles of this strategy is that the Mayor and the organisations he directly controls and has oversight of (the GLA Group) should lead by example. The strategy sets out that the GLA Group will lead by example in its own operations by tackling environment challenges and procuring responsibly – delivering, driving and enabling best practice or new technologies and use their scale to help drive down costs to enable others to follow suit. The strategy also sets out air quality and climate mitigation objections for the GLA Group, that they will have:

• all cars in GLA Group support fleets being zero emission capable by 2025;

• all new cars and vans in GLA Group fleets including response vehicles, being zero emission capable from 2025;

• all heavy vehicles in GLA Group fleets being fossil-fuel free from 2030; and

• zero emission GLA fleets by 2050.

4.2. The Mayor’s strategy also sets out a target for a zero emission city.

Mayor’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

4.3. The Mayor’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy sets out how he will work to create a fairer, more equal, integrated city where all people feel welcome and able to fulfil their potential.

Strategic Objective 9 states:

“To work with boroughs, communities, transport providers and businesses to help regenerate the most deprived parts of London in a way that supports good growth and opens up opportunities for the most disadvantaged groups.”

Strategic Objective 11 states:

“To work with all relevant partners to ensure actions to improve levels of air quality and mitigate the effects of air pollution are informed by an understanding of the groups most likely to experience poor air quality.”

c) Impact assessment and consultations

4.4. The Mayor’s Transport Strategy and London Environment Strategy both included impact assessments covering the ambitions around electrification of the GLA Group fleets which highlighted the need for charging infrastructure. This ADD seeks to address the issues related to electrification of the GLA Group fleets identified in these impact assessments.

d) Conflicts of interest

4.5. There are no known conflicts to declare regarding those involved in the drafting or clearance of this form.

5.1. Approval is being sought to commission an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure requirements study for various public-sector bodies including select fleets in the GLA Group, London Ambulance Service and the NHS Health Trust. This external report follows the Mayor’s London Environment Strategy for achieving zero carbon emissions on all GLA Group fleets. As this study is a collaborative project, the Authority has agreed to contribute up to £30,000, with financial resources to be sourced from the available funds contained within the 20-21 Air Quality budget held within the Environment Unit.

5.2. A single source justification has been selected as the best route for procurement. The contract is expected to be awarded to Element Energy based on their prior work on the Rapid Charging Hub study and the GLA Collaboration Programme. Payment will be made in arrears, based on milestones achieved and submitted. Work on the study will start in March 2021 and the GLA Group portion of the study is expected to be completed in 20-21 financial year. The full scope of the study, including the various other public sector bodies will be completed by August 2021.

6.1. Sections 1 to 2 of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Assistant Director concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or which are facilitative of, conductive or incidental to the promotion of economic development and wealth creation, social development or the promotion of the improvement of the environment in Greater London; and in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought officers have complied with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:

• pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people;

• consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and

• consult with appropriate bodies.

6.2. In taking the decisions requested, the Assistant Director must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment) and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Assistant Director should have particular regard to Section 3 (above) of this report.

6.3. Section 4.1 of the Contracts and Funding Code (the ‘Code’) requires the GLA to seek a call-off from a suitable framework, where possible, or if not, undertake a formal tender process which will be managed by TfL in respect of the services. However, the Assistant Director may approve an exemption from this requirement under section 5 of the Code upon certain specified grounds. One of those grounds is that the approval of the exemption is the continuation of existing work that cannot be separated from the new project/work. Officers have indicated at paragraph 1.5 of this report that this ground applies and that the proposed contracts affords value for money. On this basis the Assistant Director may approve the proposed exemption if satisfied with the content of this report.