Not enough charging points for electric cars, say South West residents
Research shows nearly half of us don't think electric cars are viable as things stand, but an expert disagrees
Last updated 5th May 2021
Almost half of residents across the South West would not buy an electric car because they do not feel there are enough charging points.
That's what research by the renewable energy firm myenergi has found, with the sale of new petrol and diesel cars set to be banned in 2030.
In our region 42 percent of those asked said there are not enough charging points at the moment, while 30 percent said electric cars are too expensive.
Currently there are around 500,000 electric cars on Britain's roads but that is expected to rise to £10 million in the next nine years.
Myenergi say to meet that level of growth there needs to be a 10-fold increase in charging points and we are not currently on track for that.
But Kate Tyrell from myenergi says there are actually plenty of charging points for the number of cars on the road at the moment.
"A lot of people have this perception that charging infrastructure isn't good enough, that models are too expensive, when in actual fact there is so much charging infrastructure available now," she says.
All of the reports that people had access to about a year ago are massively outdated just because of how progressive the industry has been.
"You've got the first electrical charging forecourt when live in December, there's 100 more sites that Gridserve have announced within the next four years.
"then you've got charging available at your supermarket, at your gym, fast food restaurants, as well as being able to charge at home or even to pay to use your neighbours charger.
"The facilities are there now and I just don't think the public have enough access to that information to be able to understand that it is a much simpler transition."
Currently there are more than 25,000 charging points in the UK, Kate says, with that number set to grow significantly in the next few years.
She says they are only needed for those driving long distances or who do not have their own charging facilities at home, which she suggests most people do.
"If you think about how often you drive your car every day, you probably do 20 or 30 miles if you're commuting to your office, if you're still actually going into the office, and how often do you actually need to do 300 miles in a day?"
She says a greater problem currently is the price of electric cars to buy.