EV Myth-busting – It’s all about the charging
One of the most common concerns for people considering a switch to an electric vehicle (EV) is charging. In a recent YouGov survey looking at barriers to EV adoption, four out of the top five barriers were charging related.
We’re here to help break down the myths and confusion around EV charging and demonstrate how charging can actually be more convenient than refuelling a petrol or diesel car.
Where can you charge an electric vehicle?
There are three main options for charging an EV - at home, at work or at a public charger.
1. Home charging
Being able to charge at home is one of the key benefits of going electric and the majority of EV drivers, around 93%, do just that. Home charging is both cost effective and straightforward, especially if you have a driveway or garage.
It is important to get a specialist home EV charger installed by a professional. This will provide you with reliable and convenient charging. Some units also include smart charging capability meaning you can benefit from cheaper electricity rates overnight and off peak.
Gofor works with VCHRGD as our home charging partner for customers because of its user-friendly design and world-class UK-based technical support.
Is it possible to charge at home without off-street parking?
Yes - there are an increasing number of on-street charging solutions available, including; in-pavement channels, cross-pavement arms and lamp post charging. Some areas also have community charging available where it is possible to rent someone else’s charger.
The government is also providing support through:
- Grants for flat owners or renters which provide support to buy and install a charging socket
- Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund for local authorities in England to deliver charge point infrastructure for residents without off-street parking.
2. Workplace charging
Workplace EV charging is a great option to facilitate employee transition to electric cars - 48% of UK employers have installed EV chargers, with 32% planning to invest in charging infrastructure in the year ahead. The government has also made grants available for businesses looking to install chargers:
- EV infrastructure grant - for staff and fleets, aimed at small to medium enterprises (SMEs)
- Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) – open to registered businesses, charities, public sector organisations and small accommodation businesses
3. Public charging
The average range for an electric car on a single charge is now 235 miles, according to the EV database (November 2024), while new cars coming to market have a range in excess of 400 miles. That means that if you mainly charge at home, you’re unlikely to use public charging as often as you would a traditional fuel station. In fact, if you’re on a long journey, you are more likely to need a stop before your electric car does. But when you do need to charge away from home, what are the options?
- En-route charge points - including forecourts, EV charging stations and motorway service areas (charge points are available at 97% of motorway service areas). There are also an increasing amount of dedicated electric only forecourts such as Gridserve at Braintree which offer both excellent charging and customer facilities
- Destination charge points - these include places where you are likely to have a longer dwell time - such as car parks, shopping centres andhotels
...and to find your nearest charge point - there are some excellent appsavailable including: Zapmap, PlugShare, ChargePoint, as well as charge point information on Google and Apple Maps.
What are the different charge point types?
Charge points can broadly be broken down into two categories based on their power, measured in kilowatts (kW). The higher the kW, the faster the vehicle can be charged and fast charging is usually more expensive.
- Low-speed and standard charge points - 3-6kW: these are the cheapest chargers and are usually located where vehicles are parked for a number of hours
- Fast, rapid and ultra-rapid charge points - 7kW-350kW: these are public charge points
It is also widely recommended to charge the battery to 80% to preserve battery life and speed up charging, particularly important when you are public charging.
Are there enough public charge points in the UK?
The charging network is growing fast and is in line with government plans to have at least 300,000 public charge points installed by 2030.
Zapmap reports that the number of public charge points has increased from 53,865 at the end of 2023 to more than 70,000 at the end of October 2024- a 32% uplift in charging devices since December 2023. The proportion of ultra-rapid (150kW+) charge points has also risen each year - from 36% in 2021 to 70% year to date in 2024.
How does public charge point payment work?
Payment is usually in-app, contactless or via radio frequency identification (RFID) card or token.
Because there are multiple charge point providers which can mean multiple apps, the UK government brought in new laws last year, Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, to improve the charging experience.
The regulations ensure that consumers can: easily locate the right public charge point to fit their needs, payment is easy, public charge points are in good working order and people can compare prices across multiple public charge point networks.
From November, additional rules come into force to make contactless payments mandatory on new public charge points of 8kW and above and all public charge points over 50kW.
Is the UK national grid really equipped to handle widespread EV take up?
There is strong rhetoric that the UK’s electric infrastructure cannot cope with the switch to EVs but the National Grid says it can handle the demand. Even if everyone moved to EVs overnight, it estimates that power requirements would only increase by around 10% which is well within the range the grid can handle.
The National Grid is also working on making its electricity cleaner. It is connecting more renewable energy sources such as using more offshore wind farms.
A recent Government report also identified EVs as having the potential to help balance a more flexible and low carbon grid through ‘smart charging’ which allows the batteries to charge at optimum times and supply electricity in times of high demand.
Charging an electric car for the first time can feel a little daunting but that’s the same with doing anything new. In our experience, once our customers have made the switch to electric, they love it and wouldn’t go back to petrol or diesel. It is so important that we continue to educate people and combat some of the unreliable EV myths out there.
Iain Bennett, Managing Director, Gofor
Want to understand more about moving to an electric vehicle fleet?
At Gofor, we have extensive experience of the transition to electric so we are able to support you with every aspect. We’ll carry out an analysis of your current fleet and make recommendations on what will work for your business.
Get in touch to arrange a fleet consultation
