Electric vehicles (EVs) have certainly taken off in the past few years, and they don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. Despite electric vehicle sales reaching record-breaking heights in 2021, there are still plenty of concerns for creating an all electric world. The greatest one being where and how to charge an electric vehicle.
As EV sales in the UK accelerate quickly, getting accessible, powerful and user-friendly infrastructure in place has been a struggle at some points. As of January 2022, there are over 28,000 electric vehicle charges in the UK. These chargers provide nearly 50,000 electric vehicle charging connectors.
Despite these large figures, lots of Brits still quote a lack of charge points as one of the main reasons for not switching to an electric vehicle. In 2018, a survey by Statista revealed that nearly a quarter (22%) of respondents were worried about not being able to charge an electric vehicle when they need to.
This is not exclusive to the UK. In 2021, the Deloitte Global Automotive Consumer Study saw respondents from the USA, Germany, Japan, China and India worried about the EV infrastructure.
Overcoming infrastructure issues
Whether there are or aren’t enough charge points to go around, it’s clear that the public perception is not great. We know this is one of the biggest barriers to overcome if we’re going to ban new conventional vehicles by 2030.
The Government has already committed to installing a further 2.3 million EV charge points to UK roads by 2030. However, this may change as community and shared charging comes into play further.
As well as installing vastly more charge points, we think it’s important to normalise electric vehicles and make EV charge points more visible. In a recent LeasePlan survey, 71% of EV drivers said they were influenced by someone close to them when choosing to go electric.
As we see more and more all-electric alternatives on the road, the appeal to drive an electric car will likely grow too. It’s also important for business fleets to consider using battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to give consumers more hope in electric vehicles.
If you don’t drive an electric vehicle, you may not even notice EV charge points in the street or at supermarkets and gyms. That is another big problem! Some public electric vehicle charge points are hidden out of the way, which not only makes it difficult for EV drivers to find but also for potential EV drivers to see.
Eventually, going to charge an electric vehicle should be as easy as filling up a petrol or diesel vehicle. In 2021, the UK Government worked alongside the Royal College of Art and PA Consulting to design a more visible charging point.
We are certainly a long way off from where we need to be by 2030, or even 2050, but we’re hopeful we’ll see EV technology and infrastructure grow rapidly over the coming years.
Shell convert a fuel station into an EV hub!
Just last week, Shell announced that they have converted a previous fuel station into an EV charging hub in Fulham, London. This is the first time the company has converted an existing site to cater for purely electric vehicles.
Planning was granted in early 2021 for the development of the hub and the site opened in January 2022. The hub is made up of nine high-power, ultra-rapid 175kW charge points, which are three times faster than rapid chargers.
These can charge most electric vehicles from 0-80% in roughly 10 minutes. Alongside ultra-rapid charging, the hub offers EV drivers with a Costa Coffee, general store and indoor seating areas.
The company who made their name fueling the growth of petrol and diesel vehicles, have certainly made the switch to sustainability (as much as they can). The hub has solar panels built into the roof that provide around a quarter of the electricity the site uses.
Plus, the shop is fitted with double glazing with highly insulated properties, which will reduce the energy use throughout the year. All the chargers also run on 100% renewable energy. Adding to the sustainable design, the hub’s canopy is made from timber, rather than steel.
“EV drivers are looking for a charging experience that is as fast, convenient and comfortable as possible. This is exactly what Shell Fulham aims to offer,” said István Kapitány, Shell’s Global Executive Vice President for Mobility.
This hub is one of a growing network of Shell Recharge sites and many other charging networks have announced similar developments for the next few years. Shell have committed to installing 50,000 on-street chargers in the UK and over 800 charge points at UK Waitrose sites by 2025.
Compact, powerful and accessible chargers
Along with the number of available charge points, the quality and accessibility of charge points is just as important. ABB, a Swedish-Swiss digital technology company, have recently launched a high-power EV charger they’re hoping meets everyone’s needs.
Named the Terra 360, this charger is the fastest all-in-one charger on the market globally. It has been designed around the needs of today’s EV drivers making it powerful, flexible, user-friendly and accessible.
Providing 350kW this charge can add 310 miles in less than 15 minutes. That’s enough to fully charge a Tesla Model X or the upcoming BMW iX in 15 minutes or less. Along with being extremely fast, the Terra 360 can also charge four electric vehicles at the same time.
ABB have also opted for an eye-catching design which is compact enough to fit in small, urban spaces. There’s up to five metres of cable reach, a large LCD screen and LED lighting which indicates the availability and charging status.
The Terra 360, which supports major charging standards, including CCs-1, CCs-2 and Type-2, is already available across Europe. ABB is hoping to launch the Terra 360 in the USA, South America and Asia in 2022.
UK drivers could reduce fuel spending by 70% with an EV
While EV infrastructure may not be where we’d like it to be, there are many benefits to driving an electric vehicle. Of course, by driving an electric vehicle you’ll be helping the environment but you’ll also save yourself some money too.
A recent analysis by Yesss Electrical, an EV charger supplier, found that switching from fossil-fuelled cars to EVs saves up to £627.84 per year in fuel costs. Their analysis compared the cost per mile of charging an electric car with fueling a new petrol or diesel car based on current energy prices.
They used the popular Tesla Model 3 as their all-electric vehicle, which costs roughly 4p a mile to charge using current kWh prices. This was compared to a petrol car which costs 13p per mile and a diesel car costing 12p per mile on average .
Yesss Electrical’s findings show that drivers of pure electric vehicles pay roughly £265.82 per year to drive the UKs average mileage. Whereas, petrol drivers pay £888.42 and diesel drivers pay £808.51 per year.
As the cost of living and fuel prices continue to rise, the pressure to afford driving to work is becoming more and more overwhelming. As well as saving money on fuel, electric vehicles generally have less wear and tear than conventional vehicles. This results in minimal repair payments.
Electric vehicles at EVision
If you’re looking to hire an electric vehicle, we’re here to help! We offer flexible short and long term rental tariffs – with some great prices! Here at EVision Electric Vehicles, we have over 1,000 EVs for you to choose from including the latest models from Mercedes, Audi and Polestar.
To find out more about our electric vehicles feel free to give us a call on 01634 914 063 or email us via mail@evisionevs.co.uk.
* All information correct as of 31/01/2022.
