Category Archives: Away From Home

Jolt offers first 7kWh free to charge an electric vehicle

December 1, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Jolt has launched its free fast-charging service for electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK after striking a deal with the London Borough of Barnet.

The charge point operator offers UK EV drivers 7 kWh, or around 30 miles, of free, fast charging, with cost of charging offset though its integrated advertising network.

After users have consumed 7 kWh for the calendar day, drivers will be charged a per kWh rate.

Born in Australia, Jolt recently announced its partnership with Telus to develop 5,000 EV chargers across Canada and currently operates in New Zealand, Canada and the USA.

The company plans to roll-out thousands of charging stations across the UK in the next few years.

John Rainford, UK country manager at Jolt, said: “Accelerating e-mobility, in a way that’s equitable and sustainable to all involved, is at the heart of what we do at Jolt.

“We are proud to express our commitment to making EV charging accessible through seamless customer experience, especially for those without home charging, and empowering EV ownership in the UK, while helping minimise emissions created by transport.

“Thanks to our partners who are working towards the same ambitious net zero goals, we anticipate accelerated growth and expansion of Jolt’s EV charging infrastructure across the country.”

The partnership with the London Borough of Barnet follows a £2.1 million funding grant, as part of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Pilot Project, a government scheme supporting the rollout of EV charging infrastructure.

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Here’s How Many Solar Panels You’ll Need to Charge Your EV

November 28, 2023At Home, Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Solar PowerRepost

In order to make your EV green-energy approved, you’ll need to charge it using a renewable energy source. Solar panels are one way to accomplish that.

For the eco-conscious EV driver, an electric vehicle is only as clean and green as the source of electricity charging its battery.

That’s because EVs plugged into the grid can either be powered by “dirty” sources such as fossil fuels such as coal, or from “clean” renewable energy that comes from sources such as solar, hydro or wind power. With many utilities, it’s likely to be a mix of renewables and fossil fuels. The best way to ensure your EV is actually powered by renewable energy is to connect your home’s EV charger to a solar energy system or use a public charger also sourced by solar panels.

An impediment to electric vehicle adoption is car dealerships.

With spiking gas and electric prices and an intensifying climate crisis, it’s no wonder the solar and electric vehicle industries are gaining in popularity each year. Rooftop solar panel installations are breaking records, and US EV adoption is expected to accelerate — predicted to reach 40% of passenger car sales by 2030, according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

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EV chargepoint prices and availability made public under new law

November 15, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

New laws approved by MPs on Tuesday evening (24 October) will require providers to publicly share data on electric vehicle (EV) chargepoint availability and charging prices.

The new regulations will mean that prices across chargepoints are both transparent and easy to compare, and drivers looking to charge will be able to find a chargepoint suiting their needs with little hassle. Drivers will also be able to check charging speeds and charger locations, as well as availability.

Once the regulations are passed, EV drivers will also have access to contact-free 24/7 helplines for any issues in accessing charging on public roads.

Technology and decarbonisation minister, Jesse Norman, said that the measures will improve EV charging for millions of drivers, providing price transparency which will allow drivers to get the best value, increasing the economic viability of driving electric.

These measures come as the UK reaches record numbers of public chargers, with numbers growing by 42% year-on-year. EV mapping service provider Zapmap revealed earlier this month that the UK has surpassed the 50,000 chargepoint milestone.

The beginning of October also saw the government announce a range of measures to accelerate the installation of chargepoints through its ‘Plan for Drivers‘ including extending chargepoint grants for schools and reviewing the grid connection process for chargepoints.

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Number of ultra-rapid charge points increase by almost 70% over a year

October 26, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, Ionity, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

New data from Zapmap suggests the number of ultra-rapid charge points in the UK has increased by 68% over the past year.

The number of slow chargers has risen by almost 68% as well, with the latest Zapmap figures showing there were almost 50,000 public charging devices installed as of the end of September.

Charging Hub with eVolt Rapid Chargers (Image: SWARCO eVolt)

This represents overall year-on-year growth of more than 43%, with higher-powered charging points having grown by over 40% since September 2022, while lower-powered devices display year-on-year growth of 44%.

Over the past year, 5,749 slow devices have been installed across the country, alongside 1,568 ultra-rapid devices.

The new figures also show that the number of high-power charging hubs in the UK has more than doubled since September last year.

The number of ultra-rapid charging hubs with six or more devices (excluding non-public Tesla devices) has also shown impressive year-on-year growth of 123%.

At the end of September, there were 196 locations across the UK with six or more ultra-rapid devices – up from 88 in September 2022.

“This is great news for electric car drivers,” said Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and chief operating officer at Zapmap.

“With almost 200 high-power charging hubs up and down the country, these latest figures should give electric car drivers the confidence to drive any length of journey in their EV.

“As we approach the October half term, having an additional 108 new charging hubs across the UK speaks volumes – and is a huge step up from last year.

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ScottishPower launches new overnight charging tariff for EV drivers

October 3, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Economy, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Energy company ScottishPower has launched a new tariff for electric vehicle (EV) drivers with “one of the lowest overnight charging rates available”, it claims.

The EV Saver tariff allows drivers to charge their cars for 7.45p/kWh between midnight and 5am.

The company, a subsidiary of Spanish utilities giant Iberdrola, said that they want to help encourage more drivers to make the switch to electric vehicles. The new tariff adds on to an existing home charging package which comes with free AA support for 12 months.

Andy Mouat, head of smart mobility at ScottishPower, said: “Latest figures show that more than 20% of new cars sold in the UK are now all-electric and we’re here to help lead the electrification of transport by making the transition to EVs easier and more affordable.

“Our new, competitive charging tariff offers clean affordable energy for our EV-driving customers while supporting the UK’s decarbonisation journey.”

The company says it is currently investing £8 million “every single working day” in the UK to support the energy transition.

The new EV Saver Tariff is available to existing ScottishPower domestic customers who have a smart meter and opt to pay by Direct Debit, and new domestic customers joining ScottishPower on its Standard Variable Tariff (SVT) who meet the same criteria.

In August, SocttishPower’s parent company Iberdrola secured a €500 million (£432 million) loan with Citi for the construction and development of the East Anglia III offshore wind farm.

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UK’s largest electric vehicle charging hub opens in Birmingham

September 15, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Up to 180 vehicles can be charged at any one time in as little as 15 minutes at the just-opened Gigahub

The UK’s largest electric vehicle charging hub has opened at Birmingham’s NEC conference centre with the power to charge up to 180 vehicles at a time in as little as 15 minutes.

The multimillion-pound site will provide the UK’s highest concentration of super-fast chargers in one location after the biggest-ever private investment in Britain’s charging infrastructure.

The hub offers motorists in the West Midlands 150 seven-kilowatt AC charging bays and a further 30 superfast, 300kW DC charging bays, which can be used to charge up a typical passenger vehicle in about 15 minutes.

The charging zone is located on the outskirts of Birmingham at the hub of the UK motorway network, with access to the M42, M6 and A45 and what will eventually become the new HS2 rail station.

The site was officially opened on Thursday by the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt. He said the “groundbreaking” investment marked “a significant step in our rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country”.

“This is the biggest private investment in electric charging in the UK and is a huge vote of confidence in Britain’s role as a leader in green industries,” Hunt said.

Andrew Cole, a director at the NEC Group, said the conference centre’s campus, which has 7 million visitors a year, could now charge about 1,000 electric cars in every 12-hour day.

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Hundreds more rapid charging points installed in UK to help drivers go electric

September 11, 2023Away From Home, Charge Your Car, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Fast charging stations that allow for longer journeys are being added in regions beyond London

Charging companies are plugging the gaps in the UK’s high-speed charger network, with hundreds added this year outside London in a shift that will help end the “range anxiety” that holds back some would-be electric car buyers.

The capital and the south-east still have far more chargers of all speeds – ranging from slow to rapid and ultra-rapid – than the rest of the country. But the presence of high-speed chargers, generally used for quick recharging on longer journeys, is increasing in other regions as electric car sales surge.

The UK’s electric vehicle drive has put the energy sector on the road to change

The West Midlands, east Midlands, the south-west of England and Wales all installed more rapid or ultra-rapid chargers than London during the past year, and their networks have grown more rapidly than the south-east of England, according to data from ZapMap, which maps UK public charging points.

Nine out of 12 regions of the UK installed more than 100 rapid chargers during the past year, ZapMap’s data showed.

Long journeys are relatively rare occurrences for most households, but perceived difficulties in finding chargers for the occasional long drive – such as the 14m trips expected over the August bank holiday weekend – have been one factor putting people off electric cars.

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I travelled the UK and Ireland in an electric car, and what a shocker: nothing went wrong

September 6, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

Despite being an EV convert, fearmongering made me anxious before my holiday. But the summer road trip reaffirmed my faith

When my son suggested a road trip this summer around the UK and Ireland, I wasn’t sure. He wanted to go from our home in Brighton to Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Dingle on Ireland’s west coast, Rosslare on Ireland’s east coast, and Cardiff. We worked out a route and looked at booking hotels, a treehouse, a campervan and a lighthouse; we’d visit friends and family; and we’d explore the capital cities of four nations – it sounded amazing. The only problem was that we’d be doing it in our electric car – and it holds less than 100 miles’ worth of charge.

Nissan e-NV200 Winter Camper Concept (Image: Nissan)

I’m a convert, but even I was affected by the fearmongering that haunts the electric vehicle market. A relentless campaign in the rightwing media against government plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030 reflects the views of an increasingly desperate fossil fuels lobby, and I had read story after story about a lack of working chargers in the UK. I took out a second breakdown policy when I realised that mine covered only one callout in any 28-day period. I expected an adventure, and to come back with tales to tell, like running out of charge halfway up a mountain, or making friends for life with a random farmer as the car took all night to charge on their three-point socket.

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One electric vehicle sold every 60 seconds in July after price cuts

August 22, 2023Away From Home, Buying a new car, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

One electric vehicle was sold every 60 seconds in July after carmakers cut prices to attract cash-strapped drivers, industry data shows.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed an 88pc year-on-year increase in the sale of battery-powered vehicles last month, as deliveries hit 23,000.

This comes after manufacturers, such as Elon Musk’s Tesla, reduced prices.

The SMMT welcomed the increase in electric car sales but said “consumers must be given every possible incentive to buy”, as it called on the Government to scale up infrastructure.

It also warned that its outlook for overall sales next year had been downgraded by 0.7pc as households struggled with the increased cost of living.

There has been growing concern about the lack of charging capabilities for battery-powered cars across the UK, particularly for drivers embarking on long-distance journeys.

Last year just one new public charger was built for every 53 electric cars sold.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Government must pull every lever to make buying, running and, especially, charging an EV affordable and practical for every driver in every part of the country.”

Figures released by the SMMT in February showed 368,617 plug-in cars were registered in Britain last year, while just 6,949 standard chargers were installed.

This shortfall has fuelled the debate over Rishi Sunak’s plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

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InstaVolt submits plan for ‘largest’ ultra-rapid charging hub in Brentford, London

August 10, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, InstaVolt, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

UK public charging network InstaVolt has announced plans for London’s largest ultra rapid charging hub in Brentford.

The site, at Syon Park, is close to the A4 and M4, will provide rapid charging for people travelling into and out of the West of London.

InstaVolt is aiming to install 10,000 rapid chargers by 2030. InstaVolt operates an open charge model allowing any EV driver to use their charging points.

The company says their new hub will be the largest ultra-rapid charging hub within the M25. The site will feature 14 160kW BYD chargers, according to the planning application on the London Borough of Hounslow website.

Ecotricity rapid charger with LCD display (Image: T. Larkum)

Adrian Keen, chief executive of InstaVolt says: “The location of Syon Park is pivotal to engaging those who live on the commuter belt and providing them with an option to charge at a site where they themselves can switch off and recharge.”

“Being able to launch a large hub with reliable charging and access to amenities Syon Park offers, is key to encouraging a change of sentiment when it comes to charging in the UK. We want EV drivers to see charging as an opportunity to rest, take in nature, or stop for a bite to eat,” Keen said.

Earlier in July, InstaVolt announced plans to build what it says will be the UK’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging ‘Super Hub’ near Winchester.

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