Category Archives: Charging

Pod Point marks ‘landmark moment’ of Tesco rollout as it hits 200 stores

July 31, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, POD PointRepost

Electric vehicle (EV) charging company Pod Point has reached a new milestone in its rollout of chargers at Tesco stores.

Chargers have now been installed at 200 Tesco stores, with the latest – four 7kW charging bays – going in at the Chester Tesco Superstore. This takes the number of chargers installed as part of the rollout to 402, with at least two charging points installed at each location.

The partnership is on track to install chargers at a further 200 stores by the end of the year, Pod Point said, with 12% of the total Tesco store footprint now having EV charging facilities.

This is set to rise to 36% following the rollout, which is being done as a partnership between Pod Point, Tesco and Volkswagen and was first announced in 2018.

It is aiming to install 2,400 charging points across 600 UK stores, with chargers first installed in 2019.

Since then, over 669MWh has been used to power customers’ vehicles, with the chargers – which are free to use – powered exclusively through renewables.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

350,000 houses to get home charging by 2025 as UK shifts towards electric vehicle ownership

July 21, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, SalesRepost

Electric car charging infrastructure is set to get a boost over the next five years according to the latest home charger data.

Research from charging point manufacturer Andersen has shown that by 2025 there could be 350,000 homes in the UK fitted with charging points, which would see a considerable shift in car buyers opting for a fully-electric or plug-in vehicle over the same period.

The latest new car registration figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have shown that while battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have a market share of only 4.7 per cent, they have seen the most growth in June and 2020 to date.

However, BEV and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) combined now hold nearly eight per cent of new car registrations for 2020, up from 2.1 per cent in 2019.

Andersen quote in their research that it is expected there will be 1m EVs on UK roads by 2025 too, bringing with it this spike in home chargers.

The data has used statistics from the Department of Transport on home chargers installed between January 2015 to December 2019 to predict the next six years.

Andersen claims from its modelling that the rate of growth would suggest from 2021 more than 30,000 home chargers are installed a year reaching 67,480 in 2025.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Electric cars: How to charge them, how much it costs and how long it takes

July 17, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

A guide to the costs and options for charging your EV

2020 looks set to be a massive year for electric cars. Several major manufacturers have either already launched new EVs or have models due to go on sale later this year.

On top of that there are rumours of a Government-backed scrappage scheme that could offer incentives to switch to an electric car. There are also suggestions that the drop in traffic-related pollution during lockdown could encourage more drivers to switch to zero-emissions motoring.

Some of the biggest questions around EVs, besides how far they can travel, are around charging – how much it costs, how long it takes, and where you can charge your EV.

The answers to all these questions depend on a variety of things, including the size of a car’s battery, the type of charger it has, where you’re charging and even the brand of car.

How much does it cost to charge an EV?

How much it costs to charge an electric car is dependent on a number of factors.

The first is the car itself. Different cars have different battery capacities and in some cases, such as the Nissan Leaf and various Teslas, the same car can come with a choice of battery capacity. The larger the battery, the more electricity it will hold and the more it will cost to charge it but the further you’ll go on a single charge.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Electric Car CHARGING rolling out at McDonald’s in the UK – and it’s 125kW Rapid Charging

July 15, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, InstaVolt, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

McDonald’s partners with InstaVolt to roll out rapid charging for electric cars at its UK restaurants, offering proper 125kW Rapid charging.

The rise and rise of electric cars seems pretty much unstoppable for now, but as the take-up of electric cars starts to shift from ambitious early adopters to the mainstream, there are still a number of obstacles to overcome.

Price is still a big barrier for EVs, but there is light on the near horizon for that with predictions battery costs will soon mean EVs can be sold at prices comparable to ICE cars, and the electric car charging network is still an issue.

Yes, there are lots of little 7kW chargers floating around everywhere from on-street to supermarket car parks, but as batteries get bigger – and lower costs will see them getting better still – an hour-long charge at Tescos on a 7kW charge won’t do much more than get you home again.

But now McDonald’s has teamed up with InstaVolt to install proper Rapid Chargers at their UK Drive Thru restaurants, offering up to 125kW charge rates, enough to deliver an 80 per cent charge in most EVs in the time it takes you to wolf down a big Mac and Fries.

Paul Pomroy, McDonald’s UK CEO, said:

With over 1,300 restaurants our ambition would mean you would never be far from a charging point. As we look toward a return to normal service post-COVID19, drivers will be able to pop in for a coffee or a meal and get an 80% charge in 20 minutes. We are known for speed and convenience, and this partnership with InstaVolt will provide just that for EV driver.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

V2G has ‘huge potential’ beyond financial benefits

July 9, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, V2GRepost

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology has been “reduced down” to making revenue from energy trading despite having a “range of opportunities” and benefits.

Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology has been “reduced down” to making revenue from energy trading despite having a “range of opportunities” and benefits.

This is according to a new review of nine European V2G projects by Cenex. The review, which was funded by Innovate UK, found that the traditional model for V2G of generating revenue through energy trading is only one of a number of opportunities for the technology, highlighting key value propositions such as resilience, the benefits to society, enhanced battery management and self sufficiency.

According to the review, V2G can significantly reduce energy system greenhouse gas emissions, as well as ensure resilience in the event of power outages and prolong the battery life of an EV.

Battery degradation is a contentious topic when discussing V2G technology, as increased cycling takes place for arbitrage, which is likely to increase a battery’s degradation.

However, the review states that whilst V2G for revenue generation is often associated with increased battery degradation, using V2G for grid services that are based on power availability but have low energy usage will “have a limited impact on battery degradation”.

In fact, it outlined how “based on current evidence”, V2G could extend the life of an EV battery by about 10%, which would allow customers to use the EV for longer and therefore reduce the total cost of ownership as well as help to reduce end-of-life waste and the demand for mining of new materials.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Electric car charging points surge in the UK amid projected boom in EV ownership

July 4, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Sales of electric cars are expected to hold steady despite the coronavirus pandemic, as the rest of the automotive industry suffers

The number of publicly-accessible charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) grew by 60 per cent in 2019, the biggest increase in three years and outpacing sales of battery-powered cars, a new report has found.

The International Energy Agency (IEA)’s annual Global EV Outlook study, the IEA reported the number of public slow and fast charging spots as having reached 862,118 globally – 60 per cent of which are in China, the world’s largest car market.

Fast charging points, including those used by Elon Musk’s Tesla electric cars, accounted for 31 per cent of the charger total. These points can charge vehicles’ batteries within minutes, with Supercharger stations charging Tesla batteries to around 80 per cent capacity within half an hour.

EV adoption rates to grow

The IEA defines slow charging as providing power of up to 22 kilowatts (kW), taking hours to charge a vehicle battery.

“China continues to lead in the rollout of publicly accessible chargers, particularly fast chargers, which are suited to its dense urban areas with less opportunity for private charging at home,” the report said.

The IEA expects global EV sales to match or slightly exceed last year’s in 2020 despite the coronavirus outbreak, meaning EVs will account for around 3 per cent of total global vehicle sales. In comparison, the wider automotive market is expected to drop by 15 per cent.

It projects that EVs will make up around 7 per cent of total global vehicles by 2030 if existing policies remain in place in the majority of countries.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Revealed: There are twice as many public charging points for electric cars in the UK as there are petrol filling stations

June 23, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

DfT data shows there were 17,947 public electric car charging devices in April
That compares to 8,046 filling stations in the UK, according to latest figures
While availability is up, stats show there is ‘uneven geographical distribution‘

There are officially more than twice as many public charge points for electric cars in the UK than there are petrol stations, the Department for Transport has confirmed.

As of 1 April, there were 17,947 public electric vehicle charging devices available in the UK – 3,107, or 17 per cent, of which are rapid devices, the government said.

BP Chargemaster Rapid Charger at Milton Keynes Charging Hub (Image: T. Larkum)

The UK Petroleum Industry Association’s latest figures show there were 8,046 filling stations as the nation.

The figures were published as part of the DfT’s ongoing tracking of public chargers as ministers continue to push motorists to choose electric vehicles to reduce traffic-related air pollution.

The data, provided by Zap-Map, shows that since 2015, the number of public charging devices has grown by 402 per cent.

A charging device is a unit capable of charging the batteries of one or more plug-in electric vehicles simultaneously. There is often more than one device at a location.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Engie expands GeniePoint network with new rapid installs

June 19, 2020ChargePoint Services / GeniePoint, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Engie is expanding its GeniePoint network with the installation of thirteen new rapid chargers in the west midlands.

The installations of the 50kW+ chargers are part of a new partnership with Bromsgrove District Council, with BMM Energy Solutions set to carry out the physical installations. Engie will provide ongoing operational, customer service and maintenance services for the next decade.

The first installation is due to start in summer 2020, with all chargers to be installed by the end of the year hopefully.

All of the new GeniePoint chargers will be supplied with 100% renewable energy and will be pay as you go, offering contactless or debit card payments.

Bromsgrove District Council won funding for EV charging as part of the government’s Ultra Low Emission Taxi Infrastructure Scheme, with the new chargers to be free to use for registered Taxi and Private Hire vehicles for the first year. After this initial period, there will be a 75% discount for 2-5 years and a 50% discount after.

Councillor Margaret Sherrey said it was “fantastic news” for the district.

“Now we can get the ball rolling to develop and implement clean transport options for our residents as well as giving EV users from elsewhere in the UK the opportunity to stop or visit Bromsgrove to ‘recharge their batteries’”.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

MPs call for accelerated rollout of EV infrastructure and emission zone extensions

June 13, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, SalesRepost

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Air Pollution has called for an accelreated roll out of electric vehicle infrastructure and for emissions zones to be extended to help tackle climate change as the coronavirus lockdown starts to lift.

The APPG has launched its Strategy to Reduce Coronavirus Infection as we emerge from Lockdown in order to keep air pollution low.

The group said studies in the US, China and Europe have identified the strong correlation between areas of high air pollution and COVID-19 deaths.

Part of the suggested proposals include extending emission zones in UK cities, introducing scrappage schemes for older vehicles, accelerating the roll out of EV infrastructure and bringing forward a ban on new fossil fuel engines to 2030 at the latest.

Geraint Davies, chair of the APPG Air Pollution, said:

“There is a risk that increased private transport as lockdown measures are reduced will increase pollution levels beyond pre-lockdown levels.

“Government must provide a clear message that pollution should be reduced, while supporting greener transport with fiscal measures and giving local government the tools to help do the job.”

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:

Electric vehicle drivers got paid to fill up this weekend

June 11, 2020Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Octopus, OhmeRepost

Electricity prices went negative for long periods on Octopus Energy’s Agile tariff on the bank holiday weekend
Drivers with the Ohme charger automatically charged their cars when prices were cheap/negative
Ohme drivers got paid around £5 as they charged over 600 miles worth of electricity, enough to drive London to County Durham and back, and would typically cost around £100 in petrol

UK, Thursday 28th May 2020: Over the bank holiday weekend, there were long periods during the day and the night where electric vehicle drivers, using Octopus Agile’s green electricity tariff and an Ohme cable or home charger, were actually paid to charge their car.

One driver, for instance, was paid £4.51 to charge up his Tesla Model 3 with enough electricity to drive over 650 miles – which would have cost over £100 in an equivalent petrol car, a BMW 3 series. That is enough energy to drive from London to County Durham and back.

Another driver, on Twitter, quipped “I drive from Bath to Edinburgh…and Octopus PAY ME enough to buy 2 pints of cask ale and a bag of crisps”, as other drivers were posting energy prices and declaring what they were planning to do, as you can see here.

Wholesale electricity prices were negative because of lower electricity demand, coupled with the weather which was both windy and sunny causing there to be lots of renewable energy available. Octopus Agile charges customers based on wholesale prices which allows people on this tariff to benefit from lower prices when excess power is available. Periods of negative prices are occurring more frequently. For example, on Saturday 23rd May, prices were negative for more than 12 hrs, from early morning to the middle of the day, and drivers were paid up to 11p per kWh used.

Ohme’s smart charging technology enables drivers to optimise each charge according to what they want and what the predicted power prices will be over the next 24 hours. Ohme will turn the charging on-and-off throughout the day-or-night to minimise the costs and take advantage of the lower energy prices. Ohme does all the hard work. This also uses surplus renewable energy which could, otherwise, be wasted if wind turbines are curtailed to balance supply and demand.

It’s Time to Go Green!

If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form: