The charging companies and some others within the EV community insist that a widespread charging network is a prerequisite for the EV market to take off. Some claim that motorists will not buy EVs until they have a charging safety net, to ensure that they can switch from ICE to EV without having to adjust their driving behaviour. And to ensure that it will be possible to cross the UK in their EV (or at least drive fast on motorways). At least one charging company has published research to 'prove' their point.
The UK government used to agree with the people in the first camp, but have shifted their position. They now claim that a 'charging point on every corner' is unnecessary from a driver requirement and therefore would be a waste of government funds. Like the proponents of EV infrastructure, they too have a vested interest of course, in the government's case that they are desperately trying to cut government expenditure in today's tough economic climate.
Let's look at some facts:
1. On a daily basis, most people drive between 20 and 60 miles. This includes the work commute, school run, shopping and local leisure.
2. 97% of all UK car journeys are less than 100 miles.
3. EV drivers charge at home, at night, when it is cheapest and most convenient to do so.
So, today, with current EV product, most people, most of the time, will have no problem at all in finding EVs to meet their daily needs.
The reason the EV market is not taking off quickly here in the UK is not however a lack of vehicle supply, or a lack of charging infrastructure. It is due to the high ticket price of the current generation of EVs - around £30,000 plus before incentives, £25,000 after incentives. This price is too expensive for most motorists given the limited range and in comparison to their conventional car equivalent.
There is another reason - the case for EVs as an appropriate vehicle for daily usage has just not been made by government and manufacturers alike, so few private motorists are able or willing to take a risk with so much cash.
As a result, the market is now skewed to fleets, as large companies dip a toe in the EV waters in pursuit of their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) goals.
This situation has been exasperated by EV manufacturers launching mid range saloons rather than smaller hatchbacks, which would have made a simple and obvious case for EVs with limited range as being appropriate as 'second' cars for families, with the 'primary' car being used at weekends and for occasional long journeys.
You have to ask the question why have the manufacturers done this? The answer may be because a) they don't actually want to sell many EVs in this initial phase b) because they are more interested in creating a halo effect, similar to that achieved by Toyota with the Prius and c) because corporate test fleets are a lower PR risk than sales to private motorists.
Where does that leave us?
Certainly the government has a role to play here. More than any other organisation, they need to make the case for EVs as ideal city runarounds. They need to make the public understand that 100 miles is more than adequate for most needs and that it is not necessary AT ALL to have a public charging network before purchasing an EV.
Secondly, EV manufacturers should focus on introducing city hatchbacks, lightweight, energy efficient vehicles suited for urban and second car usage. Crucially, they need to make these vehicles affordable, either by innovative leasing (separating the battery from the vehicle, like Renault are proposing) and/or by pricing more competitively (again, Renault are leading the way). Government can encourage and facilitate this by introducing a taxation and incentive system which priorities these low cost city cars.
The EV market is stalling currently. Too many potential EV purchasers are adopting a 'wait and see' stance as a result of the confusion and questions over current product and the 'lack' of public charging. They are waiting for the charging infrastructure and waiting for battery range to increase - when neither are required.
In the medium to long term, it will be convenient to have charging stations in many places outside the home - most notably at work and on motorways. There are commercial opportunities for top-up charging at hotels, sporting and entertainment venues, supermarkets, in car parks and at roadside parking bays, the latter so that people who live in apartments can have access to EVs. As many have judged, now is indeed the time to be entering the market as we are at the start of a land-grab for the charging industry.
But let us not confuse what is necessary and what is desirable for the market to take off.
