A new survey has found that EV owners reliant on public charging points are more dissatisfied with the costs of running their vehicle than those with access to off-street parking.
The Electric Vehicle Association research, part of its annual ‘Steer the Conversation survey’, revealed that 87% of EV drivers with a driveway or garage reported that their cars were cheaper to run than a petrol or diesel alternative, while only 50% of EV owners without off-street parking said the same thing.
1,668 drivers took part in the survey.
The cost of public charging was seen as the overwhelming issue behind these figures – with some of the most expensive public charge points costing ten times (98p per kWh) as much as some of the cheapest home tariffs (8p per kWh). On average, public charging costs 48p per kWh compared to 32p at home. There is also a huge differential in tax, with public charging taxed at 20% VAT, rather than 5% for domestic electricity.
Several respondents expressed their concern at the level of public charging.
“With the exception of public charging costs, EVs are great to drive. But they still need to vastly improve the infrastructure and drastically reduce cost of public charging, which, currently, is obscene.”
“An EV makes no financial sense for people who don’t have access to home charging.”
However, there were more encouraging headlines to emerge from the survey, such as:
• 95% of people would recommend EVs to friends and family
• 69% said the charging infrastructure in the UK had improved in the last year
• 2/3 of petrol and diesel drivers were considering switching to electric
• 62% of hybrid owners would buy a fully electric vehicle next
EVA England’s chief executive, Vicky Edmonds, says the findings highlight both progress and a pressing challenge. “Drivers are clearly loving their EVs, but these results highlight a growing inequality that can’t be ignored,” she explained.
“Those who can charge at home are saving money and driving the change, while those who can’t are facing higher costs and fewer options.
“The ‘charging divide’ is now one of the biggest barriers to a fair transition.”
