Substandard public charging provision frustrates EV owners
UK public electric vehicle (EV) charging needs a major reboot if it’s going to be ‘fit for our EV future’, a new report from independent energy infrastructure and solutions provider SMS reveals.
The report finds that lack of availability and accessibility of current EV charge points, coupled with damaged infrastructure, incompatibility and inadequate payment options is causing frustration amongst UK EV drivers.
The study of over 1,000 UK EV drivers explores the current customer experience of using, and relying on, public EV charge points. Despite an almost universal love of their cars (94%), 67% of UK EV drivers wish they’d known more about public EV charging availability before they’d transitioned to electric.
Over two-thirds (67%) of respondents say they would be prepared to pay a premium to reserve a public charging bay. Just over a quarter would be willing to pay up to £10, and 7% would be prepared to pay over £10 to avoid ‘charge anxiety’.
The research found that just 5% of respondents rely solely on home charging to power their vehicle, while 20% of EV drivers are completely reliant on public EV charging due to having no charge points available to them at home or at work. Some 33% say they use public EV charge points a lot, 31% sometimes, and 15% ‘rarely’
However 70% of EV drivers say they have limited public charging options in their area. More than 80% have had to wait for a public charge point. Of those surveyed:
Over three-quarters (77%) have been unable to access a public EV charge point. 36% stated that this was because they are out of order / broken, and for 27% it was simply that they weren’t available.
An additional 18% of EV drivers found the EV charge points were not compatible with their vehicle, and for 15% they didn’t have their preferred payment option.
17% of respondents have avoided using public EV charge points because the location didn’t feel safe.
68% of EV drivers say it is stressful to always have to think about public charging availability when they take a long journey.
Mark Winn, Head of EV Strategy at SMS commented, “Home EV charging may be on the rise, but it’s critical that the UK’s growing number of EV drivers have adequate access to fully functioning public EV charge points while they are on the move. However, in the race to meet EV charging expectations, targets and market share, companies have deployed – and continue to install – the wrong type of chargers, in the wrong location.
“Added to this, the payment options are either substandard or created to monopolise the market, and infrastructure maintenance seems to be firmly off the ‘to-do’ list. This is creating a ‘perfect storm’ of customer dissatisfaction, frustration and charge anxiety for EV drivers, and the future of electric motoring in the UK is coming under unfair scrutiny as a result. We simply must do more.”
“While we need to exponentially increase the quantity of EV charge points in multiple locations this cannot be at the expense of their quality. Not all EV charge points are created equal and the type required varies depending on where it’s being installed and who is using it.
EV may be a nascent market, but this doesn’t mean that there is any excuse for providing the public with substandard EV charging solutions. If we want to avoid a public backlash against EV adoption, then greater due diligence must be applied to EV charge point installation deals.”