One of the first reservations with regard to a change to EVs is around the UK’s capacity to generate enough electricity to fuel the numbers of EVs expected on our roads. A typical EV will use about 2,000 kWh per year and in 2023 there are around 40 million cars on the road in the UK. On that basis, if all of these were EVs the total amount of energy needed to power them would be around 80 TWh (Terawatt hours) per annum. The total electricity consumption in the UK last year was about 320 TWh, so if everyone converted to EVs the total amount of electricity needed would rise by around 25%. 2020 saw the highest electricity demand in the UK in recent years and since then, the nation’s peak demand has fallen by roughly 16% due to improvements in energy efficiency.

It is worth noting at this stage that in the last few years the UK has overproduced electricity and actually exported around 6.6% of its production. Also of note is that it takes around 5.5 TWh of electricity to power our three main UK oil refineries which at present produce our petrol and diesel and would no longer be required to produce at anything like their present levels.

At present, most of our electricity usage is during peak daytime hours and if everyone tried to charge their EV during peak hours, there could well be problems. Cost is one of the main drivers in changing EVs as well as green issues, that being the case, most drivers will home charge overnight, because they don’t use their vehicles overnight and the cost of off-peak charging is markedly less.

The smart technology of The Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021 which has been introduced by Government, ensures a more even electricity demand from EV chargers. Every EV charge cable or charge point intended for private use in the UK has built-in technology which recognises that an EV has been connected to the grid for charging and calculates when the optimum time for your vehicle to receive its charge. It will look at the demand level from the National Grid and cost of charging at any given time and ensure that your EV is charged accordingly.

This being the case, almost all of the additional energy requirement will be met at times of lowest demand which will put little or no strain on the capability of the National Grid to deliver adequate supplies of electricity for all foreseeable demands, including that of EVs. These Smart Charge Points must also allow the user to override the system to allow charging out with the programmed norm so that charging can be done during peak hours when necessary, bearing in mind that peak hours mean higher costs.

Most EVs currently being sold have a range of between 200 and 300 miles between charges and we are told that to maximise our battery life we should in the main only charge to 80% of capacity. Even taking that into consideration, most family cars will not generally exceed their battery range on a day to day basis, meaning that top-up, overnight home charging will be the norm for them. There will however, be times when charging on the move during longer trips will become necessary, which will mean using public charge points.

This brings two main concerns for prospective EV buyers, the availability of public charge points and the time it takes to charge the EV once a charge point has been found. There are now somewhere in the region of 49,000 public charge points in the UK, spread across around 29,000 locations which is a 40% increase from the previous 12 months. The concentration of these will of course reflect the density of the population, while the National Grid is working toward ensuring that nobody travelling on the country’s motorways and principle dual carriageways is further than 30 miles from ultra-rapid charging. The risk of running out of charge with an EV should be no higher than that of running out of petrol or diesel on the same route, as the EV will tell the driver when it is getting low on charge in a similar way to the fuel gauge we are all familiar with.

Driving an EV with a range of 250 miles, starting out with a battery charged to the recommended 80% would probably mean that after around 4 hours of driving the vehicle would need recharging. It doesn’t stretch the imagination too far to imagine that by that time the driver or passengers would be ready for a break to stretch their legs, use the facilities and possibly have something to eat and drink. Fast charging for most EVs at a motorway service area can be done in around 23 to 30 minutes, so if you plan your recharge, you can eat and drink while the EV charges and would therefore not be adding time to your journey, as many fear would be the case. 

Many motorists tell us that due to charging fears, they will stick with their petrol or diesel engined vehicles as will many of their acquaintances, the statistics however contradict that. In 2020 new car registrations in the UK were just over 100,000, with that figure rising to over a 250,000 by 2022. EV car registrations account for around 16.6% of all new cars sold in the UK in 2022 rising to 20.1 per cent share of the market total this year. The fact is that EVs are here to stay and the infrastructure to support them is growing as the number of EVs on the roads increases. Much of the fiction around the worries over charging comes sometimes from a lack of knowledge of a fast developing market.

If you are thinking of buying or selling your home, you may find some of these services useful: