Yunex Traffic’s Kenny Scouller shares his insights on driving EV adoption

29/10/2024

Author: Mankirat Kaur

As the electric vehicle (EV) market continues to expand in the UK, the challenge of establishing a reliable and user-friendly charging network has become increasingly important. Kenny Scouller, head of sales for EV Charging Infrastructure and Service Provision at Yunex Traffic, shares insights into the company’s role in shaping the UK’s EV charging landscape, the challenges of nationwide coverage, and the steps being taken to build driver confidence.

From traffic signals to EV chargers

Scouller begins by offering a glimpse into Yunex Traffic’s legacy, highlighting its roots in transportation infrastructure. "We date back to 1924, when we were part of Siemens and developed the first traffic signal in Germany," he notes. Over the past 12 years, Yunex Traffic broadened its focus to include EV charging infrastructure, leveraging its extensive experience with roadside assets, such as traffic signals, controllers and enforcement cameras, to now supply, install, maintain and service EV chargers across the UK.

"We’ve got 250 field service engineers and 16 depots, which allows us to provide a 24/7, 365-day service for charging infrastructure nationwide," says Scouller. This infrastructure is critical to ensuring that EV chargers are not only installed but are maintained to a high standard, reducing downtime and keeping drivers on the move.

Addressing the challenges of nationwide EV charging coverage

When it comes to building a comprehensive EV charging network, Scouller identifies two main challenges: having the available resources nationwide and ensuring that service engineers are properly trained. "The challenge isn’t just about having an engineer available in a timely manner; it’s about ensuring that the right parts are delivered on time, and that our engineers are fully trained," he explains.

Yunex Traffic’s nationwide coverage is strengthened by its own training school, located at its headquarters in Poole. This training ensures a consistent level of service quality across the UK. "Whether we’re servicing a charger in Aberdeen or Dorset, the quality is consistent. That’s vital when providing a nationwide service."

Another key challenge Scouller points out is spare parts management. Yunex Traffic, as a hardware-agnostic service provider, works closely with charger manufacturers to maintain stock levels and understand replenishment cycles. "Most charger manufacturers are internationally based, and they don’t typically have large stock profiles within the UK. We’ve had to take on that responsibility to ensure we have the right parts available," Scouller says. This proactive approach helps Yunex Traffic address issues more efficiently, ensuring that chargers remain operational.

Overcoming charger anxiety

While range anxiety—the fear that an EV will run out of power before reaching a charger—was once a primary concern, Scouller argues that this has now shifted to charger anxiety. "The vehicles being produced today have much longer ranges, so the concern has moved to whether the charger you need is operational and available," he explains.

The number of rapid chargers in the UK continues to grow rapidly, with over 16,000 now available on the public network. However, this progress brings new challenges. "It’s great that the chargers are there, but if they’re not working, that’s a massive issue," says Scouller. "We’ve all seen images of cars queued up at motorway service stations, waiting to charge, only to find that some chargers are out of service."

Scouller stresses the importance of reliability in building confidence among EV drivers. "We need to get to a point where people don’t even think about whether a charger will work, much like when you pull up to a petrol station today—you just expect the pump to work."

Achieving 99% reliability

One of the key challenges facing charge point operators (CPOs) is the government’s target of achieving 99% reliability across the network. Scouller acknowledges that while the target is achievable, it is a significant challenge. "Going from having almost no target to a 99% target is quite a stretch," he admits. "The technology has improved, and chargers are becoming more reliable, but it’s still a long-term goal."

Yunex Traffic is working closely with charger manufacturers to collect data on the performance of chargers, allowing them to predict potential failures and take a proactive approach to maintenance. "We offer availability contracts where we can predict when a component is likely to fail, allowing us to swap it out before it does. This drives the availability of chargers, but it comes at a cost, and it’s about finding the right balance between cost and reliability."

The future of the UK charging network

Looking ahead, Scouller predicts a period of consolidation within the EV charging market. "We’ve already started to see mergers and acquisitions among manufacturers, and I think we’ll see fewer players in both the manufacturing and CPO sides of the market in the coming years," he says.

He also anticipates increased demand for higher availability of chargers, as well as a focus on ensuring that the right type of charger is available in the right location. "It’s not just about having more chargers; it’s about making sure that we have the right volume and type of chargers for different situations."

While the UK’s EV charging network is still in its early stages, Scouller is optimistic about its future. "The market is young, and it hasn’t reached maturity yet, but we’re moving in the right direction. The key is to keep improving reliability and service provision, and to work closely with manufacturers, CPOs, and local authorities to ensure that we build a network that drivers can trust."

Kenny Scouller, head of sales, EV Charging Infrastructure and Service Provision, Yunex Traffic will be presenting  'Driving EV Adoption: Building a reliable and driver-friendly charger network’ at the UK Charging Infrastructure Symposium (11:50 – 12:10, 4 November) Conference room 1. CLICK HERE to book your delegate pass!