What Puts People Off Electric Cars

By Author: Capital City Electrical
Total Articles: 5
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The number of people switching to electric cars is growing rapidly in the UK. However many people remain unconvinced even though there are many benefits to this new technology.

Benefits of switching to an electric vehicle
• Electric cars don’t run on petrol or diesel. This means that switching to an EV can help reduce carbon emissions and toxic gases. This is good for the planet and for our health.
• The running costs are cheaper. Travelling a distance of 100 miles in an electric vehicle costs roughly £4-£6 if charging at home. The same distance will cost around £13 -£16 in petrol.
• You don’t pay road tax for an electric car

So what puts people off?

The cost
Unfortunately, new electric cars are still more expensive than traditional petrol ones. However, prices are coming down and the number of new models to choose from has increased. In addition, the government has introduced a grant of £3000 towards the cost of a new electric car (but only for cars costing less than £50,000). There has also been an increase in the availability of second-hand electric cars. ...
... Another popular option is car leasing. This is where you don’t own the car outright but instead pay a monthly amount for a set term. At the end of the agreed period, you usually hand the car back.

The hassle of installing an EV charging point at home
In fact, EV home charger installation is easier than you may think. The job usually takes a professional installer less than a day to complete. EV charging points are usually attached to an exterior wall or garage at your home. To help with the cost of the installation, there is currently a grant available under the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS). You need to use an EV installer that is accredited by OLEV (Office for Low Emissions).

Running out of charge
The biggest fear that many people have is that their electric vehicle battery will run out of charge before they have reached their destination. This was certainly a valid concern in the early days of electric cars but technology has moved on a lot since then. Now, many electric cars can travel 200-300 miles on a single charge. If you do need to top up, the charging point network in the UK has grown rapidly in recent years. In fact, there are now more EV charging locations than petrol stations in the UK and the number keeps growing.

If you have no experience of owning an electric car our advice is to take your time and do some research. If you do decide to go ahead we would also strongly recommend choosing an accredited EV charger installer for your home charging point installation. They will be able to offer advice on the latest installation grants available and help you with the application process.