The UK competition authority, the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), has published an open letter to EV chargepoint operators and motorway service area site operators. CMA published a sector inquiry report on electric vehicle (EV) charging in 2021. As a follow up to its work in this sector, CMA highlighted the following points in the open letter published on 16 November 2023:
- The electric vehicle market is developing rapidly and it is important to identify and address emerging issues early and remove barriers to the transition to electric vehicles
- Chargepoints in highway service areas are important to give drivers reassurance and reduce range anxiety
- There are concerns that there are some barriers to competition and investment in the charging sector and that there is insufficient competition, which may increase the competitive advantage of incumbent operators while limiting the entry of new competitors
- Reminding undertakings in the electric vehicle charging market of their ongoing obligations under competition law and emphasizing that long-term exclusivity arrangements may hinder competition
- CMA will continue to monitor pricing/competition on highways and intervene when necessary
- CMA will continue to interact and cooperate with other authorities such as “Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV)” to ensure effective competition in the market
(CMA – 16.11.2023)
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