Octopus Electric Vehicles says the charging infrastructure myth has been busted after its research found four out of five electric vehicle (EV) drivers say the network is ‘good’.
The research, commissioned by the EV leasing arm of Britain’s largest electricity supplier, showed that 47% of petrol and diesel car drivers are “tempted” to switch to electric because of running costs. Indeed, a litre of petrol averages at £1.45 in the UK while charging an EV can cost as little as 7p/kWh (if clean energy tariffs are used).
EV drivers with a home charger said two-thirds of their charging is done at home and almost all (88%) of EV drivers with a home charger make use of a low-cost specialist EV tariff.
Of those that have made the switch, 96% said they are happy with their EV and that it is likely their next car will also be electric. Four in five (79%) EV drivers say they’ve had a good overall experience with public charging in the UK, with a further 13% of respondents saying their experience was neither good nor bad.
According to ChargeUK, the industry body that represents EV drivers, there is just about one charger for every EV—over 930,000 public, home and work chargers supporting 1.1 million fully electric vehicles.
Misinformation still circulates and one in ten people (wrongly) believe EVs are more expensive to run.
Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles, said: “This research is clear – almost half of the UK’s drivers are ready to get an electric car today, and yet they make up less than a quarter of the cars being sold.
“Certain laggard car manufacturers may claim drivers aren’t ready for EVs, but they underestimate UK drivers’ appreciation for the value, fun, and peace of mind electric cars offer.”
“Government policies like the ZEV Mandate are critical to keep driving the manufacturers to bring affordable electric cars to UK drivers. Those manufacturers are grabbing market share, and there’s a race on to be the brands of our future roads.”
The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate was signed into law at the beginning of this year under the previous Conservative government. It sets out the percentage of new zero emission cars and vans that manufacturers will be required to produce each year up to 2030.
After the controversial decision to push back the ban on new petrol and diesel cars to 2035, the ZEV mandate promises that 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain will be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035.
In February, shadow minister for roads Bill Esterson told Recharge UK that Labour would reinstate the 2030 target date for a ban on internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales in the UK. Since the party’s victory in the general election, this is yet to be seen.
