A considerable landmark was passed in the UK electric vehicle market last year when the number of plug-in cars registered in the UK exceeded 1,000,000 as last year saw 1 in every 5 vehicles registered in the UK being electric.  The popularity of electric vehicles shows no signs of abating as industry figures show that over 42,000 electric cars were registered in the UK in December 2022 alone, a staggering 33% of all new vehicle registrations that month.  The most popular electric car sold in the UK last year was the Tesla Model 3, with a range of up to 374 miles and the renowned Tesla technology and styling making it a stand out performer against its rivals in the sales figures.

There tends to be two concerns people have when considering electric vehicles, the charging process and the initial purchase price of the vehicle.  With regard to price, the afore mentioned Tesla Model 3 retails from around the £43K mark and as a rough and ready comparison, a petrol fuelled Audi A4 starts from around £34K.  Running costs are lower for an electric vehicle though, with cost per mile being about half that of a petrol vehicle and currently electric vehicles in the UK are exempt from paying road tax.  Research suggests that when considering the initial purchase price, running cost and residual resale values, over the course of a 7 year ownership, an electric vehicle owner would save approximately £4,000 compared with a petrol vehicle.

Battery technology is improving rapidly and electric vehicle battery technology is at the forefront of this.  The Formula-E motor racing series features teams from mainstream car manufacturers such as Jaguar, DS Automobiles and Nissan who have used the sport as a testing ground for electric vehicle battery technology.  As an example of this, up until 2018 the drivers would have to swap cars half way through the race due to battery limitations but all that changed with innovative battery technology advancements that meant the battery could last the entire race.  And this has been mirrored in the battery performance of road going electric vehicles, with battery ranges amongst some of the longest range cars such as the Mercedes EQE, BMW iX and Ford Mustang Mach-E now inching towards the 400 miles mark, even some of the smaller electric superminis now boast ranges in excess of 200 miles.  This improvement in battery technology has reduced a lot of anxiety in buyers about the range of electric cars and given them a lot more confidence in buying an electric vehicle.

So you’ve chosen your electric vehicle, you’re happy with the range and now all you’ve got to do is think about charging it!  One of the drawbacks of electric vehicle ownership over the last 14 years since the Nissan Leaf first hit the British streets has been the availability of public charging points.  And with just cause, as in 2016 there was only around 4,500 electric vehicle charging points in the UK but this number has grown to over 37,000 charging devices in over 22,000 locations today.  Indeed, over 900 new public charging points were installed during December 2022 alone.  Just as we have seen with the ever improving battery ranges, this has helped to ease anxiety about range, as the number of public charging points has grown in line with the rapid advancement of battery technology to make longer journeys in an electric car much more achievable and easier.

As the electric vehicle infrastructure technology has improved and advanced, so has the accessibility to better charging devices for the home and business premises.  With the company car tax advantage of electric vehicles, more and more people are choosing an electric vehicle rather than petrol or diesel equivalents as company cars.  Therefore, many businesses have installed charging points to facilitate this upward trend and so while you’re sitting at your desk, your electric car’s battery is being topped up.

At home, as long as you have off street parking you can explore the opportunity of having an EV charging point for your electric vehicle.  Here at Elevate Envirotech, we work with many customers to install EV charging points at their home or workplace and prices begin from just £1,199 for the complete EV charging point installation.  We often incorporate EV charging points into a solar PV system so that the electricity generated by the solar PV system helps to charge the EV battery.  With ever rising energy costs, the payback time on anyone’s solar PV installation is dropping rapidly and the payback time for our customers with electric cars is reducing even more quickly.  When coupled with a solar PV system with integrated battery, any excess electricity harvested during the day can be used to charge your electric car during the night while it is sat on your drive or in the garage unused.  That means that it’ll be fully charged for the school run in the morning or to drive to work where you can plug it in again and keep it topped up!  It’s a brilliant solution for EV charging and we always urge our EV charging point customers to consider a solar PV system to further reduce their energy costs.

The electric vehicle revolution is underway and if you are interested in exploring EV charging points for your home or workplace, please feel free to call us at Elevate Envirotech.  Whether you’re interested in a stand-alone EV charging point or would like to discuss an integrated solar PV system to further reduce the costs of charging your electric car, we will be happy to discuss your requirements and tailor an electric vehicle charging solution that will meet your needs and exceed your expectations.