Category Archives: Charging

Range anxiety: here’s what happens when an electric car runs out

August 24, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

What is range anxiety? Here’s what happens when an electric car’s battery runs out – and what you should do if it happens

You’re sure to have heard of the term ‘range anxiety’ – this refers to the stress of running out of electricity in a car powered solely by batteries. Since it’s not possible to nip to the petrol station and fill a can of electricity like you can with conventional cars, it’s more worrying to think about running out of power in an electric car.

It was a major worry in the early days of electric cars. Early models like the Peugeot iOn and the first Nissan Leaf had small batteries and limited range, and public chargers were few and far between. Not every station was compatible with your car, either, while charging took a long time.

It’s becoming less of an issue with each new generation of electric cars – these days, even the affordable Renault ZOE can manage 245 miles, while high-end models like the latest Teslas can exceed 350 miles (check out our list of the longest-range electric cars for more). The MINI Electric, meanwhile, has a small range but an accurate range estimate – so it won’t surprise you by dropping suddenly.

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‘Brilliant’: Electric car owners could charge for free using hack as charging costs rise

August 16, 2022Charging, Economy, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

ELECTRIC car owners without off-street parking are paying up to £1,320 a year to charge, but a clever hack could allow them to charge for free.

With inflation at its highest in 30 years and public charging costs rising fast, many drivers across the UK may be concerned about their finances in the future. New data has found that an electric car could cost an average driver without access to off-street parking up to £1,320 per year to “fuel”.

This is more than £1,155 more than those with a driveway, based on average charging costs.

This is still cheaper than the cost of refuelling a petrol car, but owners can top up for free, according to Electrifying.com.

Supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Aldi all offer free charging at many stores across the country, which could help to offset the rising cost of food bills.

The National Trust also has free charging at 36 of its English and Welsh properties.

Many hotels across the UK also offer their customers free charging.

In some instances, car dealerships will have charge points which customers will be able to access.

According to Zap Map, as of June this year, nearly 5,500 of the 35,000 public charge points across the UK were free to use.

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EV demand on the up | Fleets look to models with shortest lead times

August 11, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, Leasing a new car, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

The demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) increased by 72% in the second quarter of this year, reports Leasing.com.

New data released by the car leasing comparison website, shows that consumer and business demand for all BEVs, hybrids and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) increased by 48% compared to Q2 last year, while BEV demand alone increased by 72% between April and June 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.

Meanwhile, demand for internal combustion vehicles (petrol and diesel) fell by 25% in Q2, with petrol demand falling 14% in the same period.

Leasing.com’s latest figures show that electric vehicles are closing the gap on petrol’s dominance in the new car leasing market.

Electric vehicles saw a 36.5% share of total sales enquiries via the website in Q2 compared to petrol’s 54.5% market share.

The gap between the fuel types continues to narrow each month. However, supply issues continue to dictate the sales winners in the new car market.

Consumers and businesses are gravitating towards the models that they can get hold of quickest and demand has softened for those brands with longer lead times. This has created opportunities for some manufacturers to rapidly grow their market share, says Leasing.com.

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Osprey becomes first CPO to subscribe to ChargeSafe

August 9, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

Osprey Charging has become the first chargepoint operator (CPO) to subscribe to public charging endorsement body ChargeSafe.

The body is working to inspect and rate all of the UK’s charging locations on the basis of 63 safety and accessibility criteria by the end of the year. Ratings out of five will then be made public.

Connected Kerb on-street charging (Image: Connected Kerb)

Thanks to subscribing, Osprey will be able to review the data behind the scores, allowing it to identify specific areas to further improve the charging service it offers.

“We have long been supporters of what ChargeSafe stand for and we’re proud to become the first CPO to subscribe to its thorough, EV charging location rating system,” Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging said.

“We are committed to providing safe, reliable and accessible EV charging for all. That means well-lit sites, the best chargers and the ability for wheelchairs and anyone with mobility requirements to have the space and access to charge, pay and enjoy our facilities.”

ChargeSafe’s accessibility criteria are in line with the draft PAS1899 BSI standards for accessible chargepoints, which have been co-sponsored by Motability and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

Read more: Current+

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MOTO and GRIDSERVE launch eighth High Power charging hub

August 2, 2022Charging, GRIDSERVE, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

Moto and GRIDSERVE have opened their eighth high power electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in Yorkshire.

As part of the companies’ rollout of Electric Super Hubs across the UK, 12 350kW-capable EV chargers have been installed at Moto Wetherby, with capacity to expand when future demand requires.

All of the new chargers have been designed to include both CCS and CHAdeMO connectors, accept contactless payments and to provide at least one extra-wide accessible charging bay for every six EV charging spaces.

Proposed Electric Forecourt (Image: GRIDSERVE)

Real-time status updates will be available for the chargers on a myriad of EV charging maps, the companies said, including Zap-Map.

Ken McMeikan, chief executive at Moto, said: “We are delighted to continue our roll-out of the High Power Charging Hubs and we will be opening more hubs at all of our Motorway Service Areas across the country in the coming 12 months.”

In 2022, Moto and GRIDSERVE have added 65 high power chargers across seven new Electric Super Hubs, including chargers in Thurrock in May, Exeter and Burton-in-Kendal last April and its first one in Wales in February.

Read more: Current+

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Europe’s ‘most powerful’ EV charging hub opens in Oxford

July 20, 2022Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, Energy Storage, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

Pivot Power has opened Europe’s “most powerful” electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in Oxford, with 42 fast and ultra-rapid chargers.

As part of the Energy Superhub Oxford project, the hub located at Redbridge Park and Ride could scale up to provide charging for 400 vehicles as EV adoption increases.

It will be entirely powered with renewable energy, with 10MW of installed capacity on-site.

“Electric vehicles form a key part of our strategy to decarbonise transport, so I’m pleased to see Europe’s most powerful EV charging hub opening in Oxford,” said Trudy Harrison MP, transport decarbonisation minister.

“Both the Government and industry, working together, are investing billions in projects like this to help provide the infrastructure to support the UK’s electric revolution and soaring EV sales. This in turn will help us decarbonise transport, create high-skilled jobs, and provide cleaner air across the UK.”

Several providers installed chargers at the facility, which has been developed by EDF Renewables subsidiary Pivot Power with the participation of the Oxford City Council, including 10 300kW charging bays from Fastned, 20 7-22kW from Wenea and 12 250kW Tesla Superchargers.

Read more: Current+

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GRIDSERVE Electric Highway charging sessions triple following multimillion-pound upgrade works

July 14, 2022Charging, GRIDSERVE, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

In the year since GRIDSERVE acquired the Electric Highway, the number of charging sessions has tripled while the energy supply has quadrupled.

The average charge time on the network has also decreased, with this in line with the faster charging installed by GRIDSERVE, which began upgrading the network in March 2021.

Reliability on the network has also improved over the past year, with the network now having 99% uptime and a goal of raising this further.

Additionally, the electric vehicle (EV) charging network said that accessibility has improved, with contactless payment now ubiquitous across the network, having been previously unavailable at legacy chargers.

Each Electric Super Hub also includes at least one extra-wide accessible charging bay for every 6 EV charging spaces, while all 3 connection types (CCS, CHAdeMO and Type 2 for AC) are available across the network.

Read more: Current+

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InstaVolt opens its first ultra-rapid EV charging hub in Wales

July 5, 2022Charging, InstaVolt, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

InstaVolt has opened its latest ultra-rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging hub at the Rhug Estate, in Wales.

The site, which sits on the A5, includes eight ultra-rapid 120kW InstaVolt chargers, boosting EV facilities in an underserved part of Britain. According to a report from the Department for Transport in April 2022, Denbighshire has an exceptionally low ratio of EV charging devices to its population.

“As electric vehicle usage continues to rise, there is a significant desire for rapid charging points across Wales, to address the regional disparities that exist within the EV charging network,” said Adrian Keen, CEO of InstaVolt.

“Our work with the Rhug Estate fills an urgent geographical need for rapid EV charging, and we’re pleased to expand our footprint in the region with our first InstaVolt hub in Wales.”

The site has been opened ahead of the summer holiday period, with the companies anticipating increased demand due to staycations. It sits three miles west of Corwen, where traffic from Manchester and Chester meets the main A5, making it a strategic location for those visiting West Wales.

“It is great to be going live with our car charging points by InstaVolt, we have been asked by customers every day when they will be live so there has been a great deal of anticipation around the opening!” said Lord Newborough, owner of Rhug Estate.

Read more: Current+

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GRIDSERVE and Moto unveil 17 new EV chargers at Electric Super Hubs

July 4, 2022Charging, GRIDSERVE, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

GRIDSERVE and Moto have unveiled 17 new electric vehicle (EV) chargers across two sites, as they continue to roll out their Electric Super Hubs.

Six 350kW-capable EV chargers have been installed at Moto Severn View and 11 at Moto Heston, with both sites chosen to help expand the charging options of those travelling between London, South Wales and the South West.

All of the new chargers have been designed to include both CCS and CHAdeMO connectors, to accept contactless payments and to provide at least one extra-wide accessible charging bay for every six EV charging spaces.

Just about to finish at Cherwell (Image: T. Larkum)

Real-time status updates will be available for the chargers on a myriad of EV charging maps, the companies said, including on Zap-Map.

In 2022, GRIDSERVE and Moto have added 53 high power chargers across six new Electric Super Hubs, including chargers in Thurrock going live in May, and Exeter, Burton-in-Kendal and Swansea in April.

“GRIDSERVE is continuing its multimillion-pound investment in the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway charging network with the launch of its fifth and sixth Electric Super Hubs delivered so far this year,” said Toddington Harper, CEO of GRIDSERVE.

Read more: Current+

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Vehicle-to-grid charging: could your electric car pay the bills?

July 1, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

EV owners can now charge their cars when energy costs less and then sell back what they don’t use

With the price of electricity through the roof, buying it at a low price during off-peak times and then selling it back at a higher one when demand returns sounds very appealing.

To do this, you need to be able to store your surplus power until the price is right, which is where electric cars, with their large batteries, are essential. It’s why the process is known as vehicle-to-grid or, more modishly, V2G.

The idea is being hotly debated and is regarded, at least by some, as the answer to smoothing out the peaks and troughs in renewable energy supply, making it more practicable and thus reducing our dependency on fossil fuel. The possibility of consumers selling their unwanted renewable energy for a profit is a welcome side benefit, but the real prize, say many, is accelerating the world’s shift to renewables.

Charging with an Ohme smart charging cable

A major step on the road to testing V2G’s viability has just been completed, and the results appear to be positive. Electric Nation, a project involving partners including Western Power Distribution (WPD) and Crowd Charge, a demand management provider, equipped the homes of 100 Nissan EV owners with Wallbox Quasar V2G chargers that charged and discharged their cars’ batteries and gave them a choice of four energy suppliers offering at least two different tariffs, including off-peak.

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