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Posted on Sunday, May 28, 2023
Electric vehicles (EVs) are everywhere. They’ve been steadily growing in popularity and are now a serious consideration for anyone thinking about buying a new car. I've gone all electric. Mr JDG has gone all electric. The question is, are you ready to go green and drive electric?
It’s estimated that by 2025, the sale of electric cars will overtake that of traditional petrol/diesel vehicles. And in just seven years’ time, the government plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars completely (although used cars will still be sold).
Many people have mixed views about electric cars, myself included despite being an electric car driver. I can confirm that range anxiety is real. Many potential EV owners are holding back because of the lack of charging points, but is this a valid concern?
If you’re thinking about making a change or just want to find out more about charging an EV, this article is just for you.
Ok, it’s a fact – charging an EV is not as easy as pulling into a petrol station and filling up. There are three different types of chargers: rapid, fast and slow, which will make a huge difference to the time it takes to charge your vehicle. There are also ultra-rapid chargers, but these aren’t widely available yet. It is estimated that a rapid charger can charge a battery to about 80% in under an hour, whereas a slow charger can take up to 12 hours but who has 12 hours to wait??
As you’d expect, rapid and ultra-rapid chargers can be found at petrol stations and motorway service stations, whilst slow chargers are found in lamp posts on residential streets.
Currently, the most popular places to charge are at home, at your workplace or at public charging points.
Homeowners and landlords have access to a variety of government grants which will either pay a lump sum towards the cost of installation or 75% off the total price of purchase and installation (whichever is lower). Employers are also able to apply for workplace charging schemes to install charging points for staff. However, this only works if you have space to park. Sadly being a city centre business, we don't have this luxury at JDG.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a driveway or enough space to install a personal charging point, which is why local councils are being given millions of pounds to start installing more charging points throughout the country. If you live in a terrace home or an apartment, it is even more difficult to green with your car. Local authorities must also have charging strategies in place that set out how they plan to improve EV charging over the coming years.
If you’ve been driving an EV for some time now, you’ll probably know all about those magical free charging points that exist in your local area. But if you’re new to the EV phenomenon (or have just been ignoring it), this is something worth thinking about. There are only around 4,000 free points around the country, and they can be found at supermarkets, tourist attractions and some car parks.
Lancaster has more electric charging points than you might first think. In 2020, one of North West's biggest electric charge points opened at Junction 34 (Lancaster Park and Ride). Lancaster University has 36 electric car charging points. Booths Supermarket has 2 rapid chargers at the site in Scotforth. They are a number dotted around the city including Spring Gardens Street and Aldi. They are several at Motto Service Station. However, in my opinion, it is still not enough. If you have ever queued waiting for one, you will understand!
What are your thoughts on EVs? Are you already driving one? Or perhaps you don’t think the infrastructure is ready yet? We’d love to hear your thoughts below.
Thanks for reading
Michelle x
Ps. Here is a link provided by Lancaster Council to charging points across Lancaster and Morecambe
