Category Archives: Charging

Tesco celebrates installation of 600th EV charger

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

Tesco, Pod Point and Volkswagen are celebrating the installation of the 600^th 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.

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 500^th 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.

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:

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.

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:

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.

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:

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).

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:

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.

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:

Calls for VAT relief on electric car ‘street charging’

February 17, 2023Away From Home, Economy, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, PollutionRepost

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.”

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:

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

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

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)

“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.

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:

Mythbusting the world of EVs: are energy prices killing electric cars?

February 9, 2023Charging, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

With electricity prices on the rise, what’s cheaper? And what’s the underlying issue at play here?

MYTH: “Energy prices are killing EVs”

Spiking electricity prices have brought a spate of screaming headlines: “Shock – charging an electric car is as expensive as refuelling a diesel.” Yes, on average, the electricity price has gone skyward. But it’s still easy to travel cheaper per mile than diesel, and actually the public charger price is falling from its peak. Like the diesel price, which you might have noticed also had a convulsion.

Actually you could have done an ‘electricity dearer than diesel’ trip any time in the past three years. Underlying all this is the extreme – and extremely upsetting – variability at any given time of electricity prices. The dearest high power DC chargers, Ionity, have been 69p/kWh since they began trading three years ago. That’s well over 20p a mile, meaning if a diesel is doing better than 40mpg it’s cheaper.

But no one regularly charges at those. If you use public (not home) 7kW AC you’ll probably be around half that Ionity rate. If you plug in at home and have a tariff that responds in real time to local demand, you might still pay perhaps 10p/kWh overnight, or about 3p a mile.

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:

Truth about electric cars running out – how often it happens, and how it’s fixed

February 7, 2023Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

Helen Skelton reignited fears of electric car blackouts this week with an Instagram post

TV presenter and Strictly star Helen Skelton this week reignited questions over electric cars when she posted a video to her Instagram account showing she had broken down after running out of charge. Some people are put off switching from petrol and diesel to electric because of fears over how, where and how often they will have to stop to ‘top up’.

Those fears were also realised before Christmas when there were pictures of huge queues of electric cars waiting to charge at motorway service stations.

Posting to her social media on Monday, Helen Skelton revealed her car had run out of charge. She wrote: “I thought electric cars were the future,” followed by mind-blown and angry emojis. She said: “I had an electric car over a decade ago – a Nissan Leaf. It didn’t work out. I could never charge it and it was really impractical.”

She continued: “Over a decade later, an electric car – not working out. Can’t charge it and not for the first time…stranded.”

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:

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.”

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: