Park life 2020 has revealed how communities can come together to provide care and compassion to those most in need. This is the true meaning of Christmas along with the Scottish Law Commission, set out their ideas for regulation of the industry, from small, low-speed pods to full-size buses. We have been a major contributor to that work. Interestingly, their conclusions stress that these vehicles could help society in several ways, reducing accidents, improving network performance, increasing social inclusivity, and shrinking the need for car parking. Is this last point true? If so, what does it mean for us in the parking profession? EV evolution Elsewhere in this edition, you will read about Britishvolt and the exciting prospect of the UK being home to EV gigafactories, designing, developing and delivering the next generation of EV batteries and more, and repurposing or recycling used EV batteries. This is of particular interest to me, given that my son Martin is not only a director of this remarkable enterprise working with internationally recognised experts in electric vehicles and battery technologies but also leading on governance, corporate and social responsibility, public affairs, and stakeholder engagement. Some might say like father, like son, but that is not fair to him, as he very much found his own way into this revolutionary business. What it does do is illustrate that entrepreneurs and big business are investing heavily in the infrastructure for Britains evolution towards EV. This is all underpinned by the governments Green Industrial Revolution and Green Recovery Plan announced in November. Our Park Active initiative, officially launched this month, is our direct contribution to more sustainable transport. Additionally we are engaged in the conversation about EV because at the very least our members parking facilities, and those that they manage on behalf of other landowners, will need to accommodate EV charging infrastructure and all that entails. Our Parking Structures Group points out that there are also safety implications associated with provision of EV parking. The Kings Dock car park fire in Liverpool, in 2017 arguably one of the worst in the history of our sector involved EVs. The inquiries into that major incident continue to this day. We should not evade the challenges, but its clear that the future is EV. It is said that one of the biggest turn-offs in the transition to EV is range anxiety but is this anxiety real or perceived? Its true that a petrol or diesel car can travel more than 300 miles before it needs refuelling, but how many of us make 300-mile trips, and how often do we do that? A few times a year at most? Research shows that most car trips are less than 10 miles. Assuming a typical car travels 12,000 miles a year, that is 250 miles per week, well within range of most new EVs on the market, even if you only charged it once a week! So, returning to Christmas Eve, when we awaken the child in us; everything evolves eventually, and the evidence is everywhere. Seasons greetings to everyone, everywhere. *You can listen again at britishparking.co.uk/AnnualConference-2020 **See bit.ly/PNDec20PL1 and bit.ly/PNDec20PL2 Kelvin Reynolds Director of corporate and public affairs kelvin.r@britishparking.co.uk 52 britishparking.co.uk PN Dec 2020 pp51-52 Kelvin.indd 52 23/11/2020 13:32