90% of EV owners would pay more to slash charge waiting times
British drivers would pay up to £20 more to slash waiting times for electric vehicle (EV) charging, according to a survey from charge point manufacturer GARO.
The company asked a straw poll of 500 EV owners in the UK about their attitudes to EV charging and discovered 90% would pay additionally per kWh if it was guaranteed to slash waiting times by up to 15 minutes.
The biggest demand for faster charging was in Cardiff where 55% of EV owners said they happily pay more, followed by Northern Ireland on 49%. In the southwest of England only 17% would pay more.
Sixty thousand were plotted by Zapmap at the start of April 2024, but only a very small percentage are ultra-rapid solutions which can significantly reduce wait times. At present 59% of devices are slower units with a power rating of 3kW up to 8kW.
Government targets are present refer to 300,000 public charge points but the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) stated that at least 2.3 million charge points would be needed nationwide by that date. In addition, the speed of charge isn’t factored into these numbers.
GARO’s research also found that the majority of EV owners (82%) would prefer to use renewable energy to power their vehicles. For 17 to 24-year-olds, this figure rose to 89%, and for 25-34-year-olds, it was 92%.
Conor Charnley, UK e-Mobility Manager at GARO, said:
“The UK is making great headway in building the necessary electric vehicle infrastructure, but EV owners are clearly becoming frustrated with the lack of rapid charging solutions available and extended waiting times.
If we are to truly overcome range anxiety in the mass transition towards EV, we need to ensure that we are not just expanding infrastructure but doing so with solutions that enable rapid and convenient charging.”
Image courtesy of GARO