Category Archives: FAQ

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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Government buys more diesel cars than electric despite zero emission pledge by 2027

March 22, 2023Buying a new car, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, PollutionRepost

A Freedom of Information request has revealed just 3.5% of the Home Office fleet is electric despite a 2021 pledge for a zero-emission fleet by 2027 – just years away

Tories have been accused of talking hot air over cars – after we found the Government still buys more diesels than electric models.

That is despite a 2021 pledge for a zero-emission fleet by 2027.

Since then, one department has bought nearly three times as many diesel vehicles as electric ones.

The Home Office added 168 diesel guzzlers to its fleet of 1,617 vehicles, and 62 electric motors.

Just 3.5% of its fleet is electric, data obtained under Freedom of Information laws revealed.

Motoring writer Quentin Willson, who founded the FairCharge campaign to make electric cars affordable, said: “These figures show the massive hole between what the Government say and what they do.

“If the UK is going to reap the benefits of electric cars, with high-paid jobs, cleaner air and less reliance on foreign oil, the Government needs to be leading the charge.”

Our research also found that since 2021, the Department for Transport has added 67 diesels compared with 54 electric vehicles, which make up 9.5% of its fleet.

Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “Hapless Tories are stuck in first gear. Labour’s plans will turbocharge electric vehicle manufacturing and bring good jobs back to industrial heartlands.”

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Tesla cuts prices for its most expensive electric vehicles to drive demand

March 20, 2023Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

Cuts range from 4% on performance version of Model S to 9% on more expensive Model X

Tesla has cut prices on its two most expensive electric vehicles in the United States, according to the company’s website, days after its chief executive, Elon Musk, said recent price cuts on other models had stoked demand.

The price cuts, Tesla’s fifth adjustment since the start of the year, ranged from 4% on the performance version of the Model S to 9% on the more expensive Model X.

Musk has said repeatedly in recent months that Tesla would focus on bringing prices down to drive demand and that it had seen success in sparking orders with global discounts introduced in January.

“The desire for people to own a Tesla is extremely high. The limiting factor is their ability to pay for a Tesla,” Musk said last week at Tesla’s investor day.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the most recent price cuts.

Tesla slashed prices on its cars across all its markets in January, offering discounts of up to 20% in what many analysts saw as the start of a price war by the electric vehicle market leader.

Petrol and diesel drivers issued ‘word of caution’ before electric car switch

March 17, 2023Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, FAQ, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

A majority of drivers around the UK believe petrol and diesel cars are cheaper to run than electric vehicles, a new poll has found

According to new data, 54 percent of motorists think petrol and diesel vehicles are now the cheapest to run. As the cost of electricity continues to rise, just 18 percent of drivers thought a fully electric vehicle would be cheaper.

This is in stark contrast to 2022, when a survey found 57 percent said cheaper running costs were an incentive to switch to an EV.

Only one in 10 motorists believe that a plug-in hybrid vehicle would be the cheapest to run.

Despite the findings, experts are trying to show drivers that electric vehicles are still significantly cheaper to run when charged economically.

The data, from NFU Mutual, found that the cost of living crisis had a huge impact on drivers wanting to commit to an electric car.

The energy crisis has hit public perception of the cost benefits of electric vehicles, with most now thinking petrol and diesel cars are cheaper to run.

The survey results come as high electricity wholesale prices have pushed up the cost of household electricity bills and public electric vehicle charging.

Jade Devlin, motor insurance expert at NFU Mutual, said EVs still have cheaper running costs than petrol and diesel cars.

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Electric cars are ‘significantly cheaper’ to service than petrols and diesels – but we’re on course to have a shortage of qualified mechanics to work on them

March 15, 2023Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, OpinionRepost

Average servicing costs for an EV is £103 – petrol car is £151 and diesels is £163
Experts suggest lower bills for EVs is a result of having fewer moving parts
IMI is concerned the uptake in technicians earning qualifications to work on battery cars isn’t keeping pace with the growth in EV sales

While many drivers still have their concerns about switching to electric vehicles (EVs) – from high prices to the lack of charging points and battery range anxiety – one benefit is more affordable servicing costs, according to a new report.

Analysis of 280,000 garage quotes given to drivers last year revealed fully-electric models are ‘significantly cheaper’ to service than all other fuel types.

An electric car costs an average of £103 to service, whereas diesels are most expensive at an average of £163, followed by hybrids (£159) and petrols (£151), according to BookMyGarage.com.

While owners of EVs will welcome the findings, the Institute of the Motor Industry is concerned that the number of technicians gaining qualifications to safely work on them won’t keep pace with electric car sales before the end of the decade.

Based on these figures, it suggests electric cars are almost a third (32 per cent) less expensive to service than petrols and 37 per cent cheaper than diesels.

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EV does it: is mass adoption a reality?

March 14, 2023Buying a new car, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Way back in 1832, Robert Anderson developed the world’s first electric vehicle (EV), signalling a historic first step. Since that time, gasoline and diesel have been the dominant energy sources for all passenger and commercial vehicles, with EVs seemingly lost in the future.

But today, people are opting for greener choices in all aspects of life—with EVs being a core component of efforts to decarbonise transportation. According to energy watchdog Ofgem, one in four UK households will buy an EV in the next five years, meaning more than 6.5 million households will invest in an electric or plug-in hybrid model.

There’s now more momentum than ever to get behind the wheel of an EV, just look at this year’s CES which was dominated by EV. news. And from a policy perspective, the UK government is committing to ending the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars by 2030, a game changing milestone in the EV market. It’s not just the UK either; the rest of Europe is following suit, with an estimated 33-40 million electric cars on European roads by 2030.

With lower running costs, no congestion charges to pay for a growing number of cities, and reduced polluting greenhouse gases, it’s easy to see why electric cars are becoming the go-to option. Despite the vast benefits EVs provide, there are still obstacles that must be overcome before mass adoption is a reality.

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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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The 10 slowest-depreciating electric cars

March 9, 2023Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Shopping for an electric car and want it to hold on to as much of its value as possible? Then you’ll need to buy one of these…

The slowest-depreciating electric cars

Tesla Model Y with depreciation graph

Image 1 of 21

Electric cars used to lose more of their value over three years than almost any other type of car, because they were seen as a niche choice and there were concerns about how long their batteries would last. Those days are long gone, though.

For a start, batteries are proving much more durable than feared, and the popularity of electric models is rising. Indeed, they have accounted for more than 13% of the cars registered in the UK so far this year. Better still, the depreciation of many of them is as glacial as it gets.

There are still big differences between the best and worst performers, though, so here we’re using our residual value data to reveal the 10 models that lose the smallest percentage of their original price during the first three years. All figures are based on what you can expect for a trade-in that’s covered 36,000 miles.

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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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