Electric vehicle owners face huge charging costs if they don’t have a driveway at home, new research shows.
A ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars could come into force as soon as 2030 but motorist organisations warn some drivers are set to face massive bills.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “We urge the Government to work with councils to address this urgently as we shouldn’t have a ‘charging divide’ that means those who can’t charge at home end up paying lots more to run their electric vehicles.”
In theory, electric cars can save drivers money because the energy they use can cost just 6p a mile, while fuel for the average petrol or diesel car costs an average of 16p a mile.
But this is the price for charging a car at home, an option usually only available to people with off-road parking at their property.
Other motorists have to use public charging points and a survey by Electric Vehicle Association England (EVA), which represents owners of electric vehicles, found that half said they were paying the same or more than they would with a petrol or diesel.
In addition, some charging points such as those designed to power up cars rapidly can cost 24p per mile.
The RAC and EVA are calling on the Government to order all councils to allow the installation of “charge gullies”, which allow charging cables to run from residential homes through a gap in the pavement, so they can be used to charge cars parked in the street.
James Court of the EVA said: “It’s simply not fair that more isn’t being done to enable more people in rented accommodation, flats, terraced homes and the like to access private, and therefore cheaper charging. And so much more could and should be done at people’s places of work too. It’s time for the Government to step up the work to democratise EV ownership and driving.”
Under plans announced by the previous government, 80 percent of new cars and 70 percent of new vans sold in Great Britain are to be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100 percent by 2035. However, Labour has vowed to reinstate earlier plans for the total ban on petrol and diesel cars to come into force in 2030, and says it will set out further details “in due course”.
There are more than 50,000 public charge points across the UK and the target is to have 300,000 in place by 2030.
