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PARTNERSHIP STUDY T he decarbonisation of transport brings together two indus- try juggernauts. The energy and trans- portation sectors have historically had a clear but distant link, yet they've had to come together in a short time- frame where customer buying patterns are at the centre and critical to success. Aligning the energy and transport networks so that they can sucessfully accommodate the 36 million electric vehicles (EVs) expected on UK roads by 2040 is a challenging task, but one that is being embraced by the network operators. The Energy Networks Asso - ciation (ENA) is the voice of the energy networks, representing the electricity and gas transmis- sion and distribution network operators in the UK and Ireland. "Dealing with EVs on a reac- tive basis will be inefficient and result in an increased cost to the customer in network reinforce- ment in order to maintain security of electricity supply," warns Randolph Brazier, the NETWORK / 20 / MAY 2019 Bringing networks together We are moving into a rapid expansion in the uptake of decarbonised transport, with car manufacturers and governments across the world placing an emphasis on developing the required technology and associated energy and transportation infrastructure. This partnership study brought to you by Network, in association with Costain, is designed to examine the changing energy demands to enable future transportation. ENA's head of innovation and development. "A proactive ap- proach to improve the efficiency of network investment is key." In order to achieve this, Brazier says energy networks re- quire clarity in policy; increased access to data to improve planning; and clear routes to funding and cost recovery. Electric vehicles represent ex -