Do Golf Clubs Need To Do A ‘Volt’ Face When It Comes To EV Chargers?

Fair Comment; Summer 2024

To EV or not EV? That is the question. And it’s a question being pondered at golf clubs right across Europe, as the sale of electric vehicles stalls. A recent report in The Times stated: “One in ten electric cars are being sold for a discount of 20 per cent — and carmakers are so desperate that they are about to start offering free chargers worth £1,000 too.”

Anecdotally, I flew back into Terminal 5 at London Heathrow recently and was told at the meet-and-greet point that chargers have been removed from the car parks as the interest levels were too low.

The Times story went on: “Andy Palmer, chief executive of the charging company PodPoint, said some carmakers would start giving them (chargers) away with new purchases in the next month. He is in talks with brands including BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Mazda and Nissan. He predicts similar giveaways will become widespread as the industry struggles to meet its quotas.”

Sales of electric cars in the UK, in the first quarter of 2024, accounted for just 15.2 per cent of new sales, well short of the 22 per cent required under the zero emission vehicles mandate, according to figures, quoted in The Times piece, from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. So, what are golf clubs to do? There are a number of companies out there offering charging point installation services, but the fear is clubs will be left with a white elephant — albeit a green one. The cost to clubs could prove prohibitive if the take up in electric vehicles fails to take off.

It’s hard to take issue with any club currently resisting the environmental pressure to install chargers. Quite simply, there’s little point in installing anything that’s not likely to be cost effective, or, at worst, an additional service to members and visitors. Maybe it should be down to Mr Palmer and the EV sector to encourage the purchase of more electric vehicles by installing complimentary charging points at golf clubs. But I’m sure that for all the good intentions, philanthropy isn’t one of the sector’s driving forces.

So why should it be expected of golf clubs?