Electric Car Charging in the UK- 5 Things to Know You Must

In this progressive world and growing population, the demand for private transportation is increasing rapidly. However, we have a limited amount of non-renewable resources present on our planet.

To sustain these resources, scientists invented some alternatives to this problem as the world is shifting to renewable energy sources. More specifically, for reducing carbon emissions due to the advent of more and more fuel-using vehicles.

This new technology is not that popular in the world, but it is essential for our future.

Keeping this in mind, the United Kingdom and the people of the UK are leading this from the front. If you are in the UK and own an electric car, you should know about electric car charging stations in the U.K. Like gas stations, you also need a charging station to charge your electric vehicle.

One thing that is not very well known and people are not made aware of is the cost of charging Electric cars in the UK. Well, if you don’t know any of this, then you are in the right place. In this article, you will get to know every detail that the heading suggests. 

Here is the listing of 5 Important factors

1. The number of public charging stations in the UK

Numerous data show that electric vehicle usage is mostly being taken up in developed countries and mainly European countries, including the UK. With this increase in Electric vehicles, the major requirement is for charging stations.

According to the data given by Zap-Map, there are currently more than 15,000 locations that include housing charge points that are more than 20k. The number of charging stations is increasing continuously, which also shows the demand for EVs.

Five thousand five hundred new locations were added in 2020 -21 alone, which is the biggest increase. The number of electric charging stations is more than Petrol and diesel stations in the UK.

2. Owner of the charging station

You might have a question about who owns the charging station or who will do the EV charger installation. Well, the answer is quite simple: many of the charging stations in the UK are owned by private and public firms, which are also known as energy firms.

You need to register yourself in any of these firms, and the payment gateway is quite simple. You can use the card or can pay using your phone. If you own any Tesla products, you can charge your electric car for free as the company provides free superchargers to its customers, and you needn’t bother to take subscriptions.

Many regional companies in the UK have their own charging station network.

If you don’t have a Tesla, you don’t have to worry because more than a thousand charging stations are free of cost. This may be located in supermarkets, shopping malls, hotels, or in public car parking areas.

3. How much time does it take? 

The charging time of an electric vehicle varies from company to company and model to model. The time taken by an Electric Vehicle also depends on the type of charger used.

This includes the kilowatts (KW) the charging station can provide and how much the car can accept. In other terms, the higher the wattage, the faster the charge will take place. 

There are three types of rates of charging that exist.

1. TYPE A Slow charging (Around 3kW):- As the name suggests, it charges quite slowly and can take around seven hours to charge an electric vehicle from empty to full charge.
2. Type B Fast charging: – In the UK, the majority of the charging stations offer this service. It takes around 5 hours to fully charge the car battery from an empty level, so it can easily be accommodated at someone’s home. This type of charging equipment can also be installed indoors, and it’s quite easy to use.
3. Type C Spontaneous charge: – There are very few models that support this charging. This can charge up to seventy per cent in less than 40 minutes. According to the data provided by Zap, there are more than 500 charging stations of this type of charging facility.

4. Home installation cost

These EV owners don’t need to worry about charging their cars. If you are thinking of this, then it’s a great idea. A home charging station will not allow every charging type, except spontaneous or rapid. You can install the other two easily.

Now comes the important part: what will be the installation cost? Installation fees are taken up entirely on their part sometimes, and one needs to check that in the brochure or enquire about that. According to a statistic, around 70-75 percent of electric cars are charged at home.

The government will grant you a subsidy of around 60-75 percent of the total cost of installation, or 500 pounds. In case you install a charging point at your home

5. Cost of charging Electric vehicles 

The cost of charging your EV varies from model to model and depends on the type of charging you are willing to use. The cost depends on the charging you want to use for charging your electric vehicle at outdoor charging stations.

For slow charging, it would cost around £18 to £24, depending on the model of your car. For fast charging, it may cost around £7 to £13. And if you are using rapid charging, then it may cost an average of £6 to £11.5 depending on your Electric vehicle.

The cost is not more than 10 pounds anywhere in the UK for a full charge. 

Conclusion

The world is shifting towards green energy, and electric vehicles are gaining popularity. Electric vehicles are hassle-free and easy to use. More importantly, the cost of charging is quite attractive.

In the future, the rates will decrease as these cars will be more commonly owned by the common masses if you purchase EVs. The things mentioned above are highlighted, which help you to make your decision. 

EV charging is said to be very easily available as well.

There are millions of units currently in production for sale in the future. These products are very much anticipated for their performance and are well-praised by climate conservation activists.