Category Archives: Charging

Battery Degradation Study Shows That EV Batteries Last Much Longer Than Initial Estimates

April 13, 2023Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

Many people think EV batteries wear out as fast as phone batteries, but they couldn’t be further from the truth. Once considered among the worst, even Nissan Leaf’s batteries can endure for decades without significant degradation. This is one reason why EV battery replacements are quite unusual.

Electric vehicles’ value is usually affected by preconceptions about electric cars, the most important being the supposedly limited lifecycle of the high-voltage battery. This also hinders EV adoption because nobody wants to buy a car that will lose its value over time. The bad news is that many scary stories have made many people believe that EV batteries are fragile and expensive to replace. The good news is that they last a lot longer than critics claim, as evidenced in a recent study.

The high-voltage battery is the most expensive component of an electric vehicle, and it’s understandable why people are afraid they’d be ruined if anything goes wrong. The fact that one of the first widely available electric cars, the Nissan Leaf, wasn’t very good at retaining battery charge helped spread uncertainty about EV batteries. Nissan admitted that the first Leaf batteries used flawed battery chemistry and changed the formula. After that, Nissan Leaf’s batteries have proved among the most enduring in the market, showing almost no degradation.

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UK start-up launches charging cable for homes without a driveway

March 24, 2023At Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

A self-closing cable channel for electric car owners without a driveway is being rilled out by UK start-up Kerbo Charge.

The company said it solves the problem of how to charge an electric vehicle (EV) for homes without driveways and will typically save customers £1,439 a year compared to solely using fast public chargers.

Kerbo Charge said an estimated 40% of the UK population do not have access to a driveway, meaning that EV owners either need to trail a cable over the pavement in the front of their house – creating a trip hazard – or use public chargers, which typically cost around £23 more per charge than topping up at home.

The company said its Kerbo Charge channel includes a self-closing lid that snaps down shut as the cable is inserted and removed.

It has also been built to contour with the surface of the pavement, meaning it will sit flush with the pavement surface and its shallow form factor allows for quick installation by council engineers as there is no need to cut below the top tarmac layer of the pavement, Kerbo Charge said.

Michael Goulden, co-founder at Kerbo Charge, said: “We developed this product in partnership with local authorities – the critical design requirements are the ability to flex with uneven pavement surfaces, be easy to install and to be safe for all foot traffic.

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OVO launches EV charging tariff three times cheaper than UK average

March 16, 2023Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Energy supplier OVO Energy has launched a new smart charging EV plan allowing customers to access charging rates of 10p per kWh – three times cheaper than the UK average of 34p per kWh.

The Charge Anytime tariff add-on, which is powered by energy software platform Kaluza, uses algorithms to optimise EV charging in response to different market dynamics such as when both emissions and costs are low.

Another feature of the tariff add-on is that it splits the EV charging costs from home electricity charges and credits customers for the amount of electricity saved via smart charging each month. The result could see up to 71% in savings, OVO said, equating to around £350 per year.

This is increasingly crucial as energy and charging costs soar as a result of the energy crisis.

“As people struggle to navigate this volatile energy market, tariffs like Charge Anytime will play a vital role in increasing EV adoption and strengthening the grid,” said Scott Neuman, CEO at Kaluza.

“Building on time-of-use rates employed by many utilities globally, Kaluza is now developing novel propositions like type-of-use focused on giving millions of EV users a simple charging experience so that they have the energy they need, precisely when they need it, at the lowest environmental impact and cost possible.

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Is this the future to support long-distance journeys in electric cars? Motorway services to get 40ft SHIPPING CONTAINERS filled with giant battery packs to provide faster charging

March 13, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

National Highways has invested a massive £8million in the ‘temporary’ measure
Containers contain enough batteries to provide 2m miles of EV driving a year
Find out which seven motorway services will get the containers in 2023

Electric car drivers are set to receive a major boost at busy motorway service stations with seven locations receiving huge shipping containers filled with battery packs to shorten charging times during longer journeys.

National Highways has confirmed it has splashed out £8million to upgrade a selection of major motorway service areas in England where the electricity grid supply is not enough to support high-powered charging devices.

eVolt Rapid Chargers installed in Aimer Square, Dundee (Image: eVolt)

The services to benefit from the investment includes: Beaconsfield on the M4; Corley on the M6 Northbound; Clacket Lane on the M25, both Eastbound and Westbound; Maidstone on the M20; Taunton on the M5 Northbound; and Tebay on the M6 Northbound.

News of these fresh installations comes just two months after electric vehicle owners faced a Christmas charging nightmare, with Tesla owners sharing on social media their tales of being stuck in three-hour queues waiting to plug in at motorway service stations, including drivers at Tebay.

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Octopus Energy launches new combined solar, battery and EV tariff

March 10, 2023Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Octopus, OpinionRepost

Octopus Energy has launched a brand new tariff for customers with solar, a battery and an electric vehicle at home.

Octopus Flux will be able to save customers more than £326 a year compared to the suppliers next more appropriate tariff, it noted.

“We’re delighted to launch our next generation import/export tariff, ‘Octopus Flux’, for those with solar panels and a battery at their home,” an Octopus spokesperson said.

“Octopus Flux customers will receive the best rates for both the power they use and the power they sell back, benefiting from three hours of cheap rates overnight and generous peak export rates.”

It builds on the company’s previous export tariff options, which include;

Agile Outgoing – Export rates are linked to wholesale pricing, changing daily to reflect the wider energy market. Over the last six months, Octopus has paid customers an average of 32.05p/kWh during peak times. In December, customers were paid up to £1.48/kWh for electricity exported back to the grid amid the wider high power prices.
Fixed Outgoing – This tariff offers customers a fixed 15p/kWh for electricity exported back to the grid, this is three times more than any other supplier in the UK, according to Octopus.
Octopus Energy’s Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariff is set at 4.1p/kWh for every unit of power customers export.

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How the transition to electric vehicles works for employees

March 7, 2023At Home, Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Electric vehicles (EVs) run differently to those powered by petrol and diesel – that’s clear. They have no need for gears, so put the pedal to the metal and you’ll be using the motor’s full power. However, brake in the right way and you can reduce the amount of energy used. For all the technology in EVs, the most vital component is always going to be the driver, and this is especially the case when businesses are purchasing EVs for their employees.

While many companies might keep their EV fleets on site, a large portion of them will either be letting employees keep their work vehicles at home or giving them company cars. Either way, an employee’s home therefore becomes very relevant for businesses.

The home charging conundrum

The government’s Housing Survey found that 60% of homes (around 14.4 million) had some parking on their plot, such as a driveway or garage, but 26% had no provision for off-street parking. That could make things difficult for EV drivers who rely on overnight plug-in charging, either through a wall socket or a specialised EV charger, to charge vehicles cheaply and conveniently.

This government survey has shown that, assuming each house has a car, 6.2 million houses in the UK are going to need some sort of on-street charging solution, such as charging points installed in lampposts (10,000 of which are available already).

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Electrifying your fleet – what employers need to know

March 6, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, Eon, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

E.ON’s head of EV for B2B David Butters gives the answers on questions for business owners looking to transition their company fleet

Electrifying a vehicle fleet can feel like a daunting prospect. It isn’t just a case of buying new cars or vans. Fleet managers need to consider how their latest electric vehicles (EVs) will be charged – and their drivers need to be prepared to shift to a whole new mindset.

Here, E.ON’s head of EV for B2B David Butters answers six important questions around electrification that organisations might have.

Is charging an EV fleet cost-effective?

The initial outlay for an EV is higher than the equivalent petrol or diesel model. But running costs are significantly cheaper and charging at home or at work is more convenient for employers and employees alike, compared with stopping at roadside fuel stations.

The average UK electricity cost at 34p per kilowatt hour (kWh) which would suggest you could charge a Nissan Leaf with a 40kWh battery for as little as £14. That would give a range of 151 miles. Covering that distance in a 40mpg petrol car would cost around £25 at early 2023 prices.

Various reports estimate that EVs are between 50-70 per cent cheaper to maintain over their lifetime than petrol or diesel cars. That makes the current average EV cost around 7p per mile, compared to 20p per mile for their combustion engine equivalent. Over the UK average of driving 7,400 miles a year, that’s an annual saving of almost £962.

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InstaVolt announces ‘extensive upgrade programme’ to its charging network

February 23, 2023Charging, InstaVolt, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

InstaVolt has confirmed that over 200 of its existing ChargePoint CPE250 electric vehicle (EV) chargers will benefit from an “extensive upgrade programme”.

Over the next six weeks, the 50kW chargers will be upgraded to become capable of outputting up to 125kW, significantly reducing charging times for EV drivers.

The newly optimised chargers will form part of InstaVolt’s established network of high-speed chargers, capable of delivering charging speeds of more than 100kW.

Solar EV Charging Hub on Princes Street, Dundee (Image: eVolt)

EV digital platforms such as Zap-Map, as well as InstaVolt’s charger map and app will display each newly upgraded chargepoint in real time.

“With this round of upgrades, drivers will experience faster rates of charging on our popular CPE250 chargers, subject to their car being able to accept greater than 50kW. This will reduce charging times and allow drivers to get back on the road sooner,” said Adrian Keen, CEO at InstaVolt.

“The majority of EVs on the road will benefit from this upgrade. With most of our CPE250s located next to convenience retail, and roadside food and drinks outlets including operators such as Costa Coffee and McDonald’s, this is another example of InstaVolt perfectly matching charging speeds to dwell time and providing an even better experience for its drivers.”

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Electric car drivers can make use of ‘magic’ feature to avoid windscreen frost and fines

February 20, 2023Charging, Electric Cars, GRIDSERVE, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Electric car owners could potentially be saving more time than petrol and diesel drivers clearing frost and ice from their windscreens, in addition to avoiding fines.

With temperatures dropping below zero once again, drivers are being warned to ensure they are not breaking the law. On top of that, experts have claimed that pre-conditioning an electric car could save drivers a staggering 15 hours worth of defrosting time through the winter.

Pre-conditioning an electric vehicle allows EV drivers to schedule their departure time in advance and warm the temperature of the cabin.

The useful feature brings the cabin up to the desired temperature, defrosts and de-mists the driver’s windows.

It also warms the battery, ensuring that it is operating at peak performance, a feature they described as “magic”.

A spokesperson for GRIDSERVE said: “Not only does pre-conditioning an electric vehicle save time, it also stops drivers from making common mistakes when attempting to defrost their car in a hurry.

“Time-saving mistakes like using boiling water to clear ice and snow risks cracking the glass and using wiper blades to clear the windscreen only damages them when they’re frozen.”

GRIDSERVE used the estimated 15 minutes it takes to defrost an average car and calculated the cumulative hours that could be wasted during freezing temperatures.

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EV drivers could face £1,000 replacement fee by failing to use solar compatible charger

February 6, 2023At Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, MyEnergi Zappi, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Electric vehicle (EV) drivers may be costing themselves £1,000 in the long run by failing to install solar-compatible chargepoints, home tech manufacturer myenergi has warned.

As domestic solar installation rates continue to rise – rates in 2022 tripled to those in 2021 – myenergi has called for UK households to seriously consider installing EV chargers that integrate with solar generation, to maximise future savings.

Untethered and Tethered Charge Points (Image: POD Point)

“While there are a number of excellent products available to specify, we believe that consumers should be thinking about the future. Charging your EV with mains electricity is typical today, but with decentralised domestic energy generation becoming ever-more commonplace across the UK, drivers should specify a device compatible with renewables to prevent buying twice,” said head of corporate communications at myenergi, Tom Callo.

“At myenergi, we believe that any EV driver who either has solar panels – or has the opportunity to install them in the future – should invest in a solar-compatible charger. With ongoing concerns around the rising cost of energy, taking advantage of solar power to keep costs down has become a hugely desirable option.

“Any EV driver installing a non-compatible device may come to regret their choice, as they will need to replace it if they choose to invest in renewables. Car manufacturers and leasing companies that are recommending non-solar chargers should therefore be making it clear that these chargers will not necessarily be future-proof for many.”

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