EV drivers want contactless payments and clearer charge point pricing, Electric Vehicle Association poll suggests
Electric vehicle (EV) drivers favour contactless payment options, more transparent pricing metrics, and standardised signage for car charging in order to help build a more accessible and reliable network of charging points across the UK, the findings of a major industry survey released today indicate.
Concerns have long been raised about the availability of EV charging infrastructure across the UK giving rise to so-called 'range anxiety' where drivers fear they could be left stranded on long journeys without access to reliable chargepoints. Meanwhile, the challenge of navigating the myriad different charging networks, phone apps, and payment options have also been highlighted by EV drivers and fleet operators as a potential barrier to widespread adoption of zero emission vehicles.
Today's poll of 1,000 EV drivers in England carried out by Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) England underscores these concerns, with respondents on average rating their level of satisfaction with the current state of public electric car charging at just 2.16 out of a maximum of five.
The survey also revealed that 92 per cent of respondents rely on England's public charging network to power up their vehicles at least once a month, highlighting the importance of public charge points to the use of battery cars.
The results point to a number of ongoing, common challenges faced by EV drivers in England, with respondents favouring contactless card or phone app payment options at charge points over the current approach where some charge points require drivers to register online to access specific networks. A majority of respondents also called for prices for electricity sold at sites to be clearly stated as standard in terms of pence per kilowatt hour (kWh), according to the EVA.
Moreover, the survey found significant support for ensuring more standardised signage to boost visibility of charging stations, both at the sites themselves and on approach roads. And EV owners similarly backed calls for a roadmap to be developed towards delivering 24/7 helplines to assist with technical issues at charge points.
As such, the survey revealed broad support for more interventions from the government to improve the ease of use and accessibility of EV charging, including mandating all charge points operators to allow for drivers to use a single app or payment car on all networks.
The government has previously called on network operators to work together to introduce roaming agreements that would improve access to chargepoints and has said contactless payment should be available at all charge points at standard. But some EV owners and fleet operators remain frustrated at the relatively slow progress in ensuring such goals are met.
The consumer-focused EVA, which was only established last month, said the survey findings were an important first step in identifying and addressing drive concerns in order to help pave the way for mass adoption of EVs.
Gill Nowell, a director at EVA England, said there was a need to improve the consumer experience at public charge points in order to take EV adoption mainstream as the UK moves ever closer to phasing out sales of fossil fuel cars altogether from the end of the decade.
"We recognise that the pace of chargepoint deployment is increasing and that the infrastructure going in the ground today is greatly improved from that which was being installed even five years ago," she said. "However, we encourage government to intervene now in order to ensure that all charging infrastructure is reliable, safe and user-friendly, across all driver groups."
In related news, battery car charging firm EVC yesterday announced an ambition to install 100,000 EV charge points across the UK by 2026. It aims to encourage uptake by providing charging infrastructure free of charge to business clients "whilst offering competitive pricing tariffs", the company said.
"Through our funded investment we are able to offer organisations free solutions to help tackle the oncoming EV revolution, meet customer demand and to make EV charge points one less thing to worry about," said EVC managing director Nick Ballamy.
And in further industry news, a group of leading trade bodies including Energy UK, ADE, BEAMA, the REA and techUK, today published a new report exploring how to accelerate the roll out of smart charging technologies.
Titled The Future of Electric Vehicle Smart Charging, the report assesses a variety of smart charging at home options and explores some of the technical and policy challenges faced by the emerging market for smart chargers that can ensure EVs are charged at the optimum time to reduce pressure on the grid.
While currently smart charging is mostly carried out by Chargepoint Operators (CPO), the government has indicated its preference for using the smart meter network in future. However today's report reveals a clear opposition amongst industry stakeholders to mandating the use of the smart meter network, while recognising that smart metering infrastructure will act as a ‘building block' for many smart energy offerings.
It also calls for greater policy clarity from government, especially on issues such as cyber security, so as to enable the development and deployment of a new wave of smart charging systems.
"Smart charging for EVs is an essential solution and we must get this right to meet our net zero ambitions and decarbonise the transport sector," said Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of Energy UK. "Without it we will have to invest far more in new generation assets and networks. It's clear from our research that there are a range of smart charging at home options that are secure, that unlock innovation and that deliver for customers. Industries in the EV market need government to listen to their concerns and recommendations, and to clearly lay out their smart charging system requirements so we can build and deliver it."