A quarter of EV drivers say charge point availability worse than expected

Charging anxiety remains an issue for drivers of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with one in four reporting public charge point availability was worse than they expected, new research from Zenith suggests.

However, it also found that just 15% regularly use their electric car for longer trips – more than 60 miles – with the vast majority taking short journeys, where public charging is not required.

In fact, the majority (61%) of drivers choose to primarily charge off-street at home, with only 9% primarily using the public charging network as their main energy source.

The findings, published in The EVXperience Report from Zenith, show that satisfaction levels among the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) drivers are overwhelmingly high.

Four-fifths (86%) of EV drivers would stick with an electric vehicle (EV) over a petrol or diesel vehicle if they had to make the decision again.

When asked to rank the number one worst thing about the BEV experience, the most popular response was limited range, with just over a fifth (22%) of respondents citing it.

A similar number (21%) ranked the need to plan for where to charge away from home, and 21% pointed to an unreliable charging network as the worst point.   

Almost a quarter (24%) found charging availability worse than expected, but 45% found it as expected and almost a third (31%) better than expected.

Drivers want to see more stations at convenient locations, for example at supermarkets, while dedicated EV hubs are also popular, as well as having stations at their workplace, according to the report.

However, the vast majority (86%) are confident that charging infrastructure will improve as more BEVs are used on UK roads over the next three years.

Tim Buchan, Zenith’s CEO, said: “Whilst we all know about the perceived benefits of going electric, very little research has been done to date on the actual experience of driving an EV. That’s why we wanted to launch The EVXperience report; so that we can understand the issues faced by EV drivers and make changes to support them. 

“What this has really driven home to me is how much people enjoy electric vehicles when they make the switch.

“It’s no surprise that take-up in the UK has reached unprecedented levels over the past few years.”

Buchan believes that the Government deserves credit for helping nurture this demand. However, he added: “I see a real danger if this is allowed to falter.

“The lower costs associated with EVs is the overwhelming factor for switching from petrol or diesel that EV drivers single out. Now is the time to ensure that even more drivers recognise EVs as an affordable option.

“For instance, the report suggests that the early adopters of EVs are skewed towards homeowners who can charge their vehicles in their driveways.

“As this balance shifts to include those in flats or with parking on the street, the need for convenient and cost-effective charging will increase.”

The cost of public charging has increased over recent months as energy prices have risen. Home charging, however, remains a good value option for customers, according to Zenith’s report, with a driver who fully charges an electric car with a 64kWh battery (from 0% to 100%) at home paying £22.22.

Buchan continued: “We are calling on Government to remove VAT on public charging points which are already more expensive and we’re doing our bit at Zenith by increasing the number of subsidised charging points at our offices to help make a real difference for our employees and their families, regardless of their home ownership situation.”

The research found that, while environmental motivations often dominate the headlines for encouraging BEV uptake, the survey revealed that cost savings are actually the biggest motivating factor for drivers.

Almost half (47%) of company car drivers and almost a third (31%) of salary sacrifice drivers said that cost savings were the best thing about the EV experience, citing the Government’s support of benefit-in-kind tax (BIK) tax as the number one point.

For those with a personal lease vehicle, 30% said that low running costs were the best thing about the experience.

Environmental benefits instead came in as the second most common response, with 23% of company car, 25% of salary sacrifice drivers and 27% of personal lease drivers citing it as the number one best thing.

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