A new YouGov survey has shown that drivers are increasingly turning to out-of-home EV charging options, despite home charging regularly being more affordable.
UK consumers have been increasingly switching to electric vehicles, accounting for 14% of all vehicles sold so far in 2022. That has followed an uptick in the number of electric vehicle chargers available for public use, with Zap-Map reporting that there are now 33,996 publicly available chargers as of August 2022. That’s an increase of 34% on August 2021.
As those chargers have become more conveniently located, drivers have begun using them in droves. In 2021, an estimated 78% of EV drivers were using home charging, while that number has dropped in the latest YouGov survey, which was conducted on behalf of CTEK, to just 56%.
Now, 20% of drivers are charging at shopping centres, 20% at work, 11% at hotels and 8% at restaurants. Surprisingly, 17% are charging at petrol stations, although only 7% give this as their preferred place to charge, while 12% say that not having to visit petrol stations is one of their favourite things about owning an electric vehicle.
So what is leading to the uptick in demand for public chargers? Well, thanks to the increase in charging infrastructure, EV owners are now reportedly less concerned about availability of public charging than they were before. Only 8% gave lack of local charging facilities as their biggest frustration in the latest survey, compared with 30% in 2021.
However, 71% of UK motorists still feel that more charging infrastructure is needed to meet growing demand for EV charging and, although this has reduced slightly from 78% in 2021, remains the highest level in Europe.
The importance of out-of-home charging is further evidenced by 44% of UK motorists saying that availability of public charging makes them more likely to buy an EV. In addition, half of drivers say they’re more likely to buy an EV if they have charging facilities at work, and this rises to 81% amongst former EV owners.
Reliability of out-of-home charging remains an issue with 9% of UK EV owners, 7% are frustrated by complexity of payment, and 59% feel that lack of EV roaming, which would allow drivers to access different providers’ chargers and networks, is a major frustration. This is an even greater issue in Germany and France, where 67% and 62% of drivers, respectively, are frustrated by lack of EV roaming. It is less of an issue in The Netherlands and Scandinavia, where EV roaming is better established.
Cecilia Routledge, Global Director, Energy & Facilities for CTEK, noted, “It is extremely encouraging to see that the availability of public and destination charging facilities is starting to step up to meet the growing demand for out-of-home charging, as this is a vital factor in the overall acceptance and take up of electric motoring.
“However, reliability of out-of-home charging remains an issue, and this is an aspect that needs additional focus, along with steps to reduce the complexity of payment and industry-wide commitment to rolling out EV roaming, which would give EV drivers better access to charging stations, in the same way that mobile phone users can simply access different networks as they travel around the globe.”
With the escalating cost of living and rising fuel prices, it’s hardly surprising that financial considerations are becoming increasingly important for all motorists. A quarter of current EV owners now give lower running costs as their favourite thing about EV ownership, ahead of 21% citing environmental benefits. However, UK EV owners remain the most environmentally conscious in Europe, with 33% giving concern for the environment as the main reason for purchasing an EV, compared with an average of 23% in the rest of Europe, where lower running costs are the main reason for purchase.
For non-EV owners, lower running costs have become more important than access to charge points, and the purchase price of EVs remains the biggest barrier for motorists considering the switch. In addition, 64% of drivers feel that Government subsidies are essential to encourage more people to buy EVs, this being the highest level in Europe.
The survey also highlighted a need for clear, consistent information about EVs and EV charging, to help drivers cut through the mountains of, sometimes conflicting, information that’s out there. 30% of drivers said they were confused by all the information available on EVs, 45% said they wouldn’t know where to go to find out about EVs, and 17% of drivers said that knowing more about EVs and how they work would encourage them to purchase one.