Once again, the premature rush to sell EV's to the over anxious virtue signalers proves that less haste more speed is prudent.
Buyer's remorse as reality hits them fair in the face,
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'It's the endof the road for our troublesome electric cars'
Story by ElizabethAnderson • Sunday
- Owners say vehicles are unable to travel distances promised by manufacturers
- Others report problems including battery issues and software glitches
- Public charging infrastructure is woefully inadequate to cope with demand
Electric cars are the future and although they are still a minority onthe roads, Britons are rushing to buy them. But while many are delighted withthe electric experience, not all are totally sold on ownership, with a majorgripe being charging infrastructure. We speak to some to find out why.
We're all being encouraged to switch to electric cars for obviousreasons: they are kinder to the environment than petrol or diesel models asthey do not release CO2 – a key contributor to global warming.
And figures show an increase in uptake ahead of the Government's plan toban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. Personal use of electriccars is far outweighed by business use, thanks to generous tax breaks.
Around 20,500 electric cars wereregistered in the year to April 2023, up 59 per cent from the 12,899the previous year and these account for 15 per cent of total market share,according to data from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers andTraders (SMMT).
Concerns: Actor andcar collector Rowan Atkinson has told of his disappointment in electric cars asdid writer and broadcaster Giles Coren© Provided by This Is Money
Yet a growing number of electric car owners are unhappy. Lastweek, actor and car collector RowanAtkinson told of his disappointment at their performance, as didwriter and broadcaster Giles Coren.
The list of complaints include battery issues, software glitches and thefact that vehicles are unable to travel distances promised by manufacturers.
The key problem is that while the number of electric cars is on therise, the charging infrastructure is woefully inadequate to cope withdemand.
There were 36 electric cars on the road for every public charger lastyear, compared to 31 in 2021, says the SMMT.
Mike Hawes, the industry body's chief executive, admits availability islikely to get worse before it gets better and that he is aware of a growingnumber of complaints about the lack of reliable public charge points.
The Motor Ombudsman recorded its highest-ever quarterly volume ofconsumer complaints about electric vehicles in the first three months of theyear.
Some 273 were logged, up from 104 the previous year. The ombudsman saidcomplaints ranged from customer service to brakes and range.
Lizzie Butler-Meadows, 36, a hospital doctor based in Chichester, WestSussex, sold her Nissan Leaf a year ago because of frustrations over a lack ofpublic charge points. She now drives a diesel Mercedes Benz A-class.
" The Government will need to boost the number of chargingstations and facilities if they expect drivers to switch to electric vehiclesafter 2030"
John Wilmot, founder and CEO of comparison site LeaseLoco
She had used her electric car for the commute to work, alongside dailyuse and occasional longer trips across the country.
However, her rented flat had no off-street parking and there were nonearby charge points either at home or at the hospital where she works.Instead, she relied on a public charging station 15 minutes from her home –which was sometimes already being used by other vehicles or out of action.
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Electric cars more harmful than conventional, hybrid cars: IIT Kanpurstudy
She says: 'I sent multiple emails to the local council asking if theycould look into installing an on-street charger in our area.
'However, I received a generic response explaining how this is somethingthey would address in the future and I should use the limited range of chargersfound in council car parks around Portsmouth which is 18 miles away. Before Iwould consider an electric car again, I would want to see improvements in thecharging network.'
John Wilmot, founder and CEO of comparison site LeaseLoco says: 'We'reseeing more enquiries for electric vehicles, which increased rapidly between2021 and 2022, despite levelling off in the last 12 months.
'The Government will need to boost the number of charging stations andfacilities if they expect drivers to switch to electric vehicles after 2030,particularly if millions of households are unable to install their own electriccharging points.'
I got a parking ticket for charging!
Roz Colthart, a hair salon consultant based in Edinburgh, rented aPeugeot fully electric car in December 2021 to test whether it would work forher.
At the end of the trial, she opted for a hybrid alternative instead asshe found the charging infrastructure too confusing.
'Some chargers accept a bank card but for others you need a pre-loadedcharge card.
Roz Colthart,wasonce issued a
parking ticket for staying too long charging her Mini Countrymanplug-in hybrid© Provided by Daily MailThere are a variety of apps that people can use to find chargers closeto you, but these are not necessarily up to date,' she says.
'Places like Ikea and Aldi are rolling out charging stations but theyare generally quite busy so you have to choose your time wisely.
'The best place for me to charge my car was at the local McDonald's. Ittook two and a half hours for a full charge. I would park up, read a book andsit in the car as it charged.
'I was once issued a parking ticket for staying too long!' Roz, 49, nowdrives a Mini Countryman plug-in hybrid for personal use such as doing shoppingtrips or visiting friends.
She charges the car in her garage through a standard three-prong plugand fills up with petrol every five weeks.
She says she would not recommend an electric car to anyone withoutoff-street parking, and who, instead, would have to rely on public chargers.
'I hope that by the time I buy my next car, the charging infrastructurewill have improved but there is still a way to go,' she adds.
Despite often costing more upfront than petrol or diesel cars, runningcosts for electric cars are lower. A full charge that gives a typical drivingrange of 200 miles would cost around £8-£12 at home, according to the EnergySaving Trust.
This compares to £26-£32 for petrol or diesel, although the electricitycosts can escalate if you use public charging points.
Rapid charging points at motorway service stations typically cost £22for a 30-minute, 90-mile charge, says charging firm Pod Point.
Electric cars are also exempt from the £165-a-year road tax on petroland dieswel cars, although this will end in April 2025. Meanwhile, they areexempt from congestion charges in cities including London and Birmingham,although they will pay the charge in London from 2025.
There are also tax advantages for business owners and employees who usecompany cars. Business owners who lease an electric car can deduct the fullmonthly payments from their turnover, meaning a lower corporation taxbill.
They can also claim back 50 per cent of the VAT, or 100 per cent if thecar is not used in any personal capacity.
For employees and directors who use a company car for journeys beyondwork, the benefit-in-kind tax rate is just two per cent compared to a typicalstarting rate of 25 per cent for fossil fuel-powered cars.
Two thirds of electric vehicles were bought by business customers in2022, says the SMMT.
Betsy Benn, who runs a business selling personalised gifts inCheltenham, started leasing a Jaguar iPace three years ago because of the taxand environmental benefits, as well as economical running costs.
Betsy, 48, uses the car mostly for personal trips and for occasionaltrips to London to visit suppliers.
She boosts the car's battery overnight, as her energy provider chargesless for off-peak electricity use, with the costs working out at about 2.8p permile. She says there are many attractive qualities to an electric car, butoverall she has been disappointed by the iPace.
Betsy does not trust her Jag's promised 282-mile range as she says thisquickly drops if factoring in air-conditioning, heating the car or sitting inslow traffic which all drain the battery. For long distances, Betsy says she'smore likely to travel by train or hire a petrol car.
'The charging network isn't there – even if you find a charging stationthere's often one out of order. You then have to wait 20 minutes until someonehas finished charging.
'I've had scenarios where I've come off a motorway junction and foundall the banks are out of action, so I've had to go up the motorway, come back downand go to the other side of the services in the hope those are operational.'
Her leased iPace is coming up for renewal and she plans to switch toanother electric car, a Kia e-Niro, which she says has a much longer range.
An option for drivers nervous about going fully electric is to opt for ahybrid model, which runs on a combination of electric and petrol or diesel.With a plug-in hybrid car, you can use electricity for local journeys andswitch to a conventional fuel for longer journeys.
Overall, hybrid cars emit less CO2 than petrol or diesel cars and soshould also benefit from tax breaks.
However, the Government plans to ban the sale of new hybrid cars from2035 to encourage more drivers to take up full electric vehicles.
EV's
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