Are charging points are making travel better
by Natasha Christou Digital Marketing ConsultantElectric vehicles are soon to be the driving force in the
car industry. Not only do we plan to have fully autonomous cars rolled out as
soon as next year, but the UK’s government has detailed plans to get rid of
harmful emissions that vehicles are releasing into the atmosphere. By 2030, the
ambition is that at least half of new cars will be ultra-low emission, meaning
popular vehicles, including the new Nissan
Juke, are likely to have an electric version available.
Here, we take a look at how the development of pod points
will help improve travel.
Electric charging pod points
Before we go any further, it’s important to understand what
exactly a charging point is. Well, it is pretty much what it says on the tin.
For petrol and diesel cars, it’s simply a case of needing to go to the petrol
station and filling up your motor. In years gone by, this has been a more
difficult task for electric vehicles. Owners have had to plan their journey by
factoring in where they can stop to ‘re-fuel’ their vehicles.
Technological breakthroughs
Charging points are becoming extremely more common, with new
charging points being added across the UK daily. Zap Map has revealed that there
are currently over 6,000 charging point locations in the UK, as of January
2019. This number has significantly increased over the years, too. Even in the
space of 12 months, there was a notable difference, with under 5,000 locations
available in February 2018.
In 2011, the majority of charging points were slow-charging,
too – with 1,325 connectors available. However, by 2018, there were 3,293 slow
charging connectors registered on the Zap Map database. If you were looking to
charge your vehicle at a quicker speed, there were 11,459 fast charging points,
up nearly 3,000 on the year before. There were also 4,366 rapid chargers in
2018, as the year-on-year growth continued. Companies such as Zap Map and Pod
Point can provide you with up-to-date locations via their app, so you’ll always
know where your nearest charging point is.
The government has also recently set out proposals to add
more EV charging points around the country as part of its Road to Zero
strategy. The plan aims to improve the air quality in the United Kingdom and
Erik Fairbairn, CEO and founder of Pod Point, which is the UK’s largest
independent charge point provider, believes it’s great news. He said: “The
rollout of EV charging has been accelerating rapidly over the past couple of
years, mainly through heavy investment from private companies such as Pod Point,
who are dedicated to building national infrastructure. It is good to see this
additional support from the government, which will allow for further
acceleration.”
Differing charging speeds
Trickle charging is the slowest type available. This is
typically reserved for long charges that occur overnight via a three pin-plug.
Unfortunately, this option lacks the safety features that are available when
you use a dedicated charging point. Then there is slow charging, which, as
mentioned, is best suited to home charging. This allows you to fully charge your
battery power overnight via a dedicated charge point. Fast charging is ideal
for top-up charging at pace and keeping you going while you’re out and about.
At-home charging
Nowadays, you can even charge your car from your standard
three pin-plug at home. However, normally, owners opt to have a Wi-Fi enabled
home charge point. This is also known as a wall box and is a faster option.
Your home charging point works best as a slow charger.
A top tip is that, although it’s safe to charge in the rain,
you should ensure you don’t point your connector upwards before plugging it in.
Electric charging costs
As the push for lower-emission vehicles continues, you can
find the switch to an electric car can help you save money. Not only will the
tax be less, but so too can ‘refuelling’. Go Ultra Low also claims that a full
charge could cost
as little as £3, meaning it may cost approximately 3p per mile.
However, it’s unfortunate that if you don’t charge at home,
you could be stung with fees more than three times what you could actually be
paying. Due to the increase in popularity, some public charging points have
unfortunately seen the free service become one you must pay for, meaning you could
be caught out if you don’t plan ahead. Some operators are charging 30p per
kilowatt-hour, which would mean it could cost over £13 to get an 80% charge. To
charge your battery to this level at home would cost under £5. Also, certain
stations have been found to have failed to provide the speed that is
advertised.
It’s clear that there have been great developments in how
charging points are used. With more locations continuing to pop up with an
electronic charging point, travel is sure to improve further. Not only can
drivers expect a cheaper journey, but the environment will benefit due to less
emissions being released into the atmosphere.
Sources
https://pod-point.com/landing-pages/how-to-charge-an-ev
https://pod-point.com/electric-car-charging-resources
https://www.whatcar.com/news/electric-vehicle-charging-–-what-does-it-really-cost/n16833
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Created on Sep 13th 2019 10:05. Viewed 349 times.