On World EV Day (9 September) NAPIT External Affairs Manager Nigel Richardson shares some tips and experiences of owning an electric vehicle.
The number of electric vehicles on our roads is steadily increasing but there are still a lot of myths about what they are like to own and drive, especially on long distances.
If you have access to off street parking it is definitely worth getting a charge point installed for the extra convenience and to take advantage of cheaper electricity rates.
I can charge my car between 12.30am and 5.30am at a cost of 8.5p per kWh compared to 22.8p the rest of the day – enough to add 125 miles of charge, which is more than enough for my day to day needs.
The car can be plugged in and topped up while I sleep.
At NAPIT we recommend consumers get work done by competent registered tradespeople working for businesses who are committed to quality, safety and customer care.
NAPIT certificated scheme members demonstrate their competence, they hold the necessary insurances and have the right processes and procedures to assure compliant and safe work.
Details of NAPIT registered members who can carry out EV charge point installations can be found at NAPIT – Member Search.
NAPIT also offer a NAPIT Training course for installers on how to install electric vehicle charging equipment safely.
Most vehicle manufacturers recommend only topping up to 80% to preserve battery life, but 100% charge can be added if heading out on long journeys. Many EVs can now travel for around 300 miles on a single charge.
I recently went on a trip to St Valery-sur-Somme in northern France and, although a little extra planning was needed, I didn’t experience any range anxiety.
Setting off from Nottinghamshire at the ridiculously early hour of 2.30am I stopped for breakfast and a comfort break at Thurrock Services near the Dartford Crossing two and a half hours later after travelling 150 miles where I plugged the car in.
By the time I had finished my coffee and bacon sandwich, the battery was charged back to 80% and I headed off to Dover to catch the ferry another hour or 65 miles later. A quick stop at the large Carrefour supermarket near Calais for a jambon beurre baguette meant I could add a few more miles charge for the final 70 miles to my holiday destination.
Once there, I was able to explore the region and topped up at another 350kW charger five minutes away from where I was staying for the journey home with another quick burst of electrons at Cambridge Services where I was going to stop anyway.
There were no waits to charge, I was going to stop for a break, drink or stretch my legs at each stop anyway and the cost to fill up was considerably less than an equivalent petrol or diesel car, especially in France.
A little extra planning is involved to identify where the fast chargers are located but the journey – my third visit to France in an EV – was stress free.
My top tips are: