More than three-quarters (77%) of drivers are put off buying an electric vehicle due to the unreliability of charge points in the UK, a survey by Click4Reg has found.
In the research, Click4Reg asked electric vehicle owners questions ranging from how happy they were with their electric vehicle,to how impressed they were with the supply and demand of public charge points.
The results include:
▪ 91% were happy with their electric vehicle and wouldn’t consider going back to an ICE vehicle
▪ 96% of electric vehicle owners were dissatisfied with public charge points
▪ 88% said the public charge points are too unreliable (e.g. either broken, have cars using them as parking spaces etc.)
▪ 74% of participants said the presence of EV charging facilities was a key factor when deciding where to park
▪ 82% believe that the government is failing to keep up with the demand for electric vehicle charge points in the UK
▪ 77% of respondents are put off by purchasing an electric vehicle due to the unreliability of charge points in the UK
Elie Fakhoury, MD of Click4Reg.co.uk said: “The number of charge points for electric vehicles are severely lagging behind in relation to the number of electric cars being purchased each year.
"If the Government wants to encourage more people to go green, more must be done to make charging seem as hassle-free as getting petrol or
diesel from the station.
"After all, this is why a shocking 77% of petrol and diesel car owners we surveyed are choosing not to drive electric vehicles.”
Gordy - 27/10/2017 14:46
Come on OLEV step in and come up with some sort of framework the EV charger companies must adhere to. I'm on my second Leaf now and having covered over 40,000 miles in just over 2 years I have made much personal sacrifice in journey times waiting for chargers and looking for another charger when the one I arrive at is broken. Once upon a time I would have said I would never go back to diesel. My commute per year is 6 tonnes of CO2 less plus goodness knows how much NO2 and particulates but if OLEV / Government / Charging companies don't get their acts together at the rate EV uptake is happening then Charge Rage will become a regular event and I will switch back to diesel for the simple reason all of the above have failed to implement a sustainable and sensible charging infrastructure. Its not rocket science. Look where Cirencester Rapid Charger is. Corner of a car park. One space. £7 per charge. Swindon doesn't even have a rapid charger yet if you don't count the one at Nissan which is locked after hours. Bath put one in a Park and Ride car park! Haha. If you REALLY want to encourage the uptake of EVs then you need to have some policy document to guide councils in long term proper places to put them. Or you are just wasting money. Forcing filling stations into putting chargers on forecourts is also short sighted. EVs need 30-60 minutes to rapid charge. You’d be better off starting up a tea / coffee shop franchise with about 20 chargers per site. How about putting them under pylons so you don't have to overload the local electricity grid? How about all EV chargers having free WiFi to connect to? Look at Costco in Hayes (54 chargers in a row) or Asda in Hayes (12 chargers in a row). Someone give their planners a biscuit. Forward thinking for sure. Now if anyone reads this from OLEV please can you make sure chargers are growing at the rate of EV sales at least for the next 10 years. Otherwise new battery technology wont be your lifeboat. Rant over!!