Electric Vehicle Charging Points

What are Electric Vehicles and their Benefits?

Electric vehicles (EV) are road vehicles containing batteries which are chargeable from mains electricity supply. These comprise either hybrid vehicles or fully electric vehicles, typically including cars, vans and bikes
Fully electric vehicles have a range of approximately 60-200 miles, fully charged. EVs with greater range retail at a higher price. Popular brands such as the Nissan Leaf have a range of 125 miles
Hybrid vehicle batteries generally have a range of 30-50 miles in addition to the traditional petrol engine
The maximum range of EVs continues to increase with technological improvements
EVs are more cost efficient for owners over the lifetime of a vehicle
EVs reduce carbon emissions by approximately 30% compared to traditional fossil fuel cars
EV owners are eligible to receive grants, tax deductions and private sponsoring.

Active and / or passive EVCPs may be required as a provision for new developments
Active charging points are fully wired and ready to use
At passive charging points, the Infrastructure is installed but electricity supply not activated and necessary charging equipment may not be supplied
Sites providing passive EVCPs need a sufficient electricity supply to cope with future demand
EVCPs can be provided publicly on-street or privately off-street, for home use for example. Duration to fully charge vehicles from EVCPs varies;

(Cheapest & usually used as a domestic private charger)

(‘mid-range’ retail price & frequently used as public charging points)

(premium chargers & sometimes supplied as public chargers or for private developers e.g. at offices or supermarkets)

An accessible electricity supply must be located in close proximity to an EVCP
specifications for connector types typically comprise a Type 2 IEC62196-2 connector for active EVCPs to connect to the EV
The Charger connects to the mains supply with a 3-pin plug
Site audits should be undertaken to determine the feasibility of providing an EVCP at new developments.

The capital cost of providing an EVCP varies widely depending on available grants / sponsorship, the type of development, whether infrastructure is located on or off street and the type or brand of charging point provided.

Guideline costs:

public on-street EVCPs cost in the region of £6k – £10k for installation and equipment
private off-street EVCPs, costs are generally between £0 – £2.5k for installation and equipment
Cost of electricity averages £1.80 per charge (60 miles) for a standard domestic rate. This averages £225 a year (for 7,500 miles)
Maintenance is often covered by the EVCP supplier
Electricity payment arrangements vary and are typically covered by either the developer, EVCP supplier, the development’s occupants or public funding.

It is estimated that approximately 80,000 EVs have been sold in the UK, including both hybrid and fully electric vehicles
There are approximately 11,500 public EVCP connecters currently provided in the UK across 4,000 locations
The majority of public EVCPs comprise ‘fast’ chargers (2-3hrs to fully charge an EV)
Zap Map is an online tool developed to illustrate the locations of public EVCPs throughout the UK and the charger type: https://www.zap-map.com/
The availability of public EVCPs is subject to on-street parking restrictions, similar to blue badge permit holder bays, car club bays etc.
Misuse of public EVCP bays may result in penalty fares being issued
Most EVCPs work on contactless payment or a token system

EV clubs involve subscribing to a membership enabling discounted or exclusive use of EVCPs covered by the scheme
Traditional car clubs offering temporary use of vehicles through a booking system now provide EVs within their fleets
Source London is the first major EV club in the UK providing a network of EVCPs within London. Members subscribe to Source London for a fee of £5 per year, enabling use of any EVCP on the network
Some of these EVCP provide free charging, whereas others are available for an hourly tariff (£5 – £7.50 to fully charge)
Charge Your Car is the largest ‘pay as you go’ EV club network in the UK, providing access to charging stations inside and outside of London, with many located in Scotland. It works under the same principle as Source London and the membership fee costs £20 per year
Usual on-street parking restrictions and charges still apply. Reservations for specific EVCP can be made via the Source London / Charge Your Car website or mobile app

Costs:

EVs typically more expensive to buy at the outset than traditional petrol and diesel cars (between 15% – 30%)
Home EVCPs cost between £0 and £2,500
Electricity costs to charge EVs at home are approximately £225 a year (7,500 miles – 3p per mile)
EV club membership costs between £5 and £20 per year
Public EVCPs cost between £5 and £7.50 (8-12p per mile) to fully charge an EV (60 miles) on tariff

Savings:

EVs are exempt from road tax
EVs are exempt from the London congestion charge
Grants are offered for up to £4,500 for the cost of cars and £8,000 for vans
Grants are offered for up to 75% of the home EVCP installation cost
Fuel savings per year from home charging are on average £750 compared to diesel and £1,275 compared to petrol (7,500 miles)
Resale value is greater than traditional petrol vehicles
Reduced maintenance costs