Category Archives: Away From Home

New UK charge points (Image: Department for Transport)

EV charging points increase by 8% in first quarter of 2023

Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment

The UK government has published new Electric Vehicle (EV) charging point statistics showing the number of installed devices increased by 8% in the first three months of 2023.

As of 1 April, there were 40,150 public electric vehicle charging devices installed in the UK, while the total installed devices increased by 3,095, an increase of 8%.

“Since 1 April 2022 the number of installed public devices has increased by 9,860, a 33% increase,” the government said. “The number of rapid charging or above devices increased by 39%, an additional 2,153 public devices installed.

 

New UK charge points (Image: Department for Transport)
New UK charge points (Image: Department for Transport)

Of the installed devices, “7,647 were rated “rapid” devices or above, this represents 19% of all charging devices”, while “22,338 were rated “fast” chargers, this represents 56% of all charging devices”.

In terms of location, 19,044 charging points were designated as “destination” chargers (47% of all devices), while 13,571 were “on-street” chargers (34%).

Since 1 January 2023, total installed charging points increased by 3,095 (8%), with rapid charging devices increasing by 760 (11%).

Read more: Current+

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ChargeUK established to double the size of UK EV charging network in 2023

Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment

ChargeUK, a new trade association which launched today (28 April), is aiming to invest £6 billion by 2030 in EV charging and double the size of the UK EV charging network in 2023.

The association, which brings together 18 EV charging companies, will look to increase the availability of charging in addition to accelerating investment and delivery. This will be achieved via collaboration with government and other stakeholders to break down barriers and shape policies and regulation.

Founding members of the organisation include: Be.EV, Believe, bp pulse, char.gy, ChargePoint, Connected Kerb, ESB, evyve, Fastned, Genie Point, Gridserve, Ionity, Mer, Osprey, Pod Point, PoGo Charge, RAW Charging and Shell Recharge.

“The formation of ChargeUK is an exciting day and is a demonstration of the EV charging industry’s growing size and importance to the UK economy,” said Ian Johnston, chair of ChargeUK and CEO of Osprey Charging Network.

“Together we are investing billions of pounds to get more charge points in the ground right across the country. These numbers reinforce our commitment to the UK’s net zero future. We will continue to be a proactive partner to government as we deliver a world-class charging infrastructure, giving the nation’s drivers confidence to transition to EVs.”

Read more: Current+

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Thousands Of EV Charge Points To Be Installed Across London

Away From Home, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment

To aid in London’s transition to a net-zero carbon metropolis by the year 2030, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and the London Councils have announced the installation of thousands more electric vehicle charge points in all 32 boroughs and the city of London.

A third of the UK’s total electric charge points are located in London, which has about 13,000 of them now. Since 2019, this number has increased by more than 200 percent. As part of the Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, London’s goal of having 40,000–60,000 charge points by 2030 will be achieved with the support of £35.7 million in capital funding from the government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund. Officers tasked with assisting the installation of charging points throughout the boroughs will be funded with an additional £3 million in capability funding.

The new public charge points will be distributed fairly by the mayor, London Councils, Transport for London, and London boroughs, who will also make sure that the charge points are installed to meet the needs of local communities, with a focus on assisting those who do not have access to off-street parking. Also, the funding will be utilized to facilitate cross-borough collaboration on the delivery and procurement of charging points.

Read more: CleanTechnica

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POD Point Rollout at Tesco Stores (Image: Tesco/POD Point)

Tesco celebrates installation of 600th EV charger

Away From Home, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment

Tesco, Pod Point and Volkswagen are celebrating the installation of the 600th electric vehicle (EV) charger as part of their partnership.

Installed at Tesco’s Kirkwall superstore on the remote Scottish island of Orkney, the charger marks the culmination of the programme that has seen 2,500 EV charging bays installed at stores across the UK.

POD Point Rollout at Tesco Stores (Image: Tesco/POD Point)
POD Point Rollout at Tesco Stores (Image: Tesco/POD Point)

The trio of companies launched the charging network in 2019 and have since provided 43,218kWh of energy.

“It is with great pride we announce that we have hit our target of providing EV charging at 600 stores across the UK,” said Jason Tarry, Tesco CEO UK & ROI.

“From Orkney all the way to Southampton customers now have the option to make sustainable choices and we’re giving them somewhere easy and convenient to charge while they shop with us.”

In March 2022, the companies hit the 500th installation milestone for the network. Having grown over the last year, it now includes 129 rapid chargers.

The network includes 7kW, 22kW and 50kW charging units, as well as Pod Point now installing the retailer’s first set of 75kW charging units as part of the next phase of rollout.

From this month, there will be 75kW chargepoints available to shoppers at Tesco Cheshunt, Osterley, Shrewsbury, Ashby De La Zouch and York Extra stores, as well as at the Newark New Ollerton Superstore.

Read more: Current+

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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

Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment
  • 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)
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.

Read more: ThisisMoney

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How the transition to electric vehicles works for employees

At Home, Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment

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).

Read more: FleetPoint

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Electrifying your fleet – what employers need to know

Away From Home, Charging, Charging, Electric Cars, Eon, News, Reviews and Comment

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.

Read more: Telegraph

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Calls for VAT relief on electric car ‘street charging’

Away From Home, Economy, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution

Electric car owners with driveways are paying less to power their vehicles at home than those forced to rely on on-street charging points.

The disparity risks “undermining the Government’s net-zero transport strategy”, claim critics. Campaigners are now calling for VAT on public charging points to be slashed from 20 per cent to the domestic rate of five per cent.

The Government plans to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars from 2030.

 

But Bath MP Wera Hobhouse said: “Not everyone has access to home EV charging. In dense urban areas many do not have a driveway, so charging a vehicle at home is not an option.”

The RAC is calling for VAT on public charge-points to be cut to five per cent. Spokesman Simon Williams said: “A quality charging infrastructure will be key to helping people switch from conventional vehicles to electric ones.

“We must ensure those without driveways are not penalised with higher costs, otherwise there’s a risk the Government’s net-zero transport strategy will be undermined.”

But treasury minister Victoria Atkins said: “VAT relief for public EV charging would impose additional pressure on the public finances, to which VAT makes a significant contribution. VAT is the UK’s third largest tax, forecast to raise £157billion in 2022-23, helping to fund key spending priorities such as the NHS, education and defence.”

Read more: Express

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

Moto exceeds 200 ultra-rapid EV charger installations in the UK

Away From Home, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment

Moto, one of the UK’s largest motorway services operators, plans to install just over 1,600 ultra-rapid EV chargers by the end of the decade, and it has now opened 12 new ultra-rapid chargers at Moto Reading Westbound on the M4. This brings to 211 the total number of ultra-rapid chargers owned by Moto.

The new chargers are supplied by renewable energy and the charging hub has been opened by Moto, GRIDSERVE and Tesla.

The 350kW-capable ultra-rapid chargers can deliver up to 100 miles of range in less than 10 minutes.

By integrating further EV charging capabilities in the Midlands region, an extensive network is being created allowing EV drivers to navigate around the area via motorway networks. By having sufficient amounts of service stations with EV charging capabilities, this helps to decrease range anxiety and could in turn prompt further drivers to switch to EVs.

A row of electric cars at a rapid charger station (Image: Ecotricity)
A row of electric cars at a rapid charger station (Image: Ecotricity)

“When we opened our first ultra-rapid EV Charging Hub at Moto Rugby, we knew it represented a major turning point in the feasibility of EV vehicle ownership – signalling the arrival of more accessible, more reliable and quicker on-the-go charging options,” said Moto chief executive Ken McMeikan.

“Now, just 18 months later, having over 200 such charge points across our network are a vast achievement. Together, with our partners, we have overcome significant planning, legal and infrastructure barriers to deliver a better charging experience for EV owners, as well as make the prospect of EV ownership more attractive.

Read more: Current+

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UK Power Networks fast-tracks EV charging at petrol stations

Away From Home, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment

UK Power Networks (UKPN) has partnered with independent forecourt operator, Motor Fuel Group (MFG) to fast-track the installation of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in petrol stations.

The new EV chargepoints will be distributed amongst some of MFG’s 900 sites in addition to the eight newly installed ultra-fast 150kW chargepoints at the company’s Catford site in South East London.

Ed Chadwick Til, director at MFG commented: “Our EV hub in Catford provides eight 150kW chargers. Whilst getting EV drivers back on the road quickly, it will be crucial in giving motorists the confidence to switch to zero carbon fuels. Thanks to UK Power Networks’ great work and the Green Recovery programme, MFG is able to build hubs like this quickly and ahead of the curve.”

This project is part of UKPN’s Green Recovery programme, which aims to support the UK’s transition to net zero by investing £66 million in low carbon energy projects.

Inconveniences of Gasoline 1: Gas Station (Image: Clean Technica)
Inconveniences of Gasoline 1: Gas Station (Image: Clean Technica)

“We want to help enable the UK’s transition to Net Zero by reducing the cost of connecting EV chargers for our customers through our Green Recovery scheme,” said Adam Lakey, stakeholder engagement manager at UKPN.

Read more: Current+

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