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Electric car charging prices 'must be fair' say MPs
- Thread starter Masklin
- Start date
To be fair that's a real point. Some people run the car for a week before charging whilst others plug in for a potential top up every night... even when both cases are driving a similar number of miles. Like you I am in the regular charging camp but there are plenty of people, even on this forum, who do it differently.
Nick77
Deep Blue Model 3 LR (2021 MIC)
I'm one of them. No off road parking so public charging only.
Once everyone in the country is on electric they need to find a solution where you can charge away from home in 5 mins, or provide charging no matter where you park, day or night. People aren't going to change habits.
My view of charging is that in the long term, within reason, the range of a car isn't the issue. The real issue is the development of an ultra fast charging system nationwide. Once that is established we are eliminating range anxiety and thus laying to rest a major stumbling block for many people moving to EV.
Nick77
Deep Blue Model 3 LR (2021 MIC)
I can see small charging posts in car parks at the front centre of each bay, plugging directly into the front of the car like the Zoe, becoming standard.
That way even in a massive car park these can be installed all the way along the middle of double rows (on the separating line basically) without using up any more space. Or even one in the middle intersection of 4 spaces with 4 plugs, to lessen the amount of them needed.
Eventually we'll have wireless units under each space and the car will just park over them and gain range that way. We're a bit far off from that yet though.
That way even in a massive car park these can be installed all the way along the middle of double rows (on the separating line basically) without using up any more space. Or even one in the middle intersection of 4 spaces with 4 plugs, to lessen the amount of them needed.
Eventually we'll have wireless units under each space and the car will just park over them and gain range that way. We're a bit far off from that yet though.
For those who do have home charging presumably the idea will be that your car will choose (or have chosen on its behalf) via it's smart features when to actually charge. A car can potentially be plugged in for many hours every day so there's lots of scope for picking the best slot. The other option that could also apply to public charging is that the charger has battery storage attached so it can be topped up at the best times over the 24 hr period but can deliver it's power on demand at any time.
People's habits are not hard to change if there's an incentive ... look at all the people who changed to charging within a 4 hour slot to take advantage of the cheap rate Octopus and other supplier tariffs. Harder for public charging of course.
Cnixon
Member
But in the bigger picture even those charges must even out demand during day.
One thing that dosn’t seem to be getting a mention is the report proposes removing completely the plug in grant as this would save £135m a year. I know this no longer applies to any Tesla cars following the £35,000 cap a few months ago, but worth knowing if you are looking for a samller/cheaper second car.
Charging at home frees up the MOST valuable commodity we have, TIME!!
I now hate having to waste time taking my wife's car to the petrol station, luckily we drive it so little I only have to do it once a month.
However is I didn't have home charging I would be wasting a huge amount of time finding and charging at public chargers, I suspect I could do it for 1 week before selling up and going back to a combustion car.
I know there are forum members here with no home charging, I salute them because I couldn't and wouldn't want to own an EV with no home charging.
The reality is as get closer to 2030 house prices will widen dramatically between those homes that have access to off road parking/home charging and those that haven't.
Most flats are actually fine, as they have designated parking, its the rows of terrace houses up and down the UK that will have their value hit as buyers start to really focus on this issue.
Garages have always been a luxury nice to have item in the UK, but soon it'll be seen as like having a functioning bathroom in the house, rather than an out door toilet like alot of Victorian terraces had in the 1960s.
Nick77
Deep Blue Model 3 LR (2021 MIC)
Yeah habits are easy to change when you can sit on your sofa at home doing nothing. If you have to charge while out and about running errands with the kids then that's a different matter.
Yes, I'm thinking that if we get more dedicated charge stations with their own storage then you will be able to charge any time because they will top up their storage at cheap rates. Public charging needs to be available when people need it of course... and that should ideally mean 24hr availability.
Drew57
Active ember
People must be protected from excessive pricing for public electric car charging
Yes but let's make the most of what we have for now....
Yes but let's make the most of what we have for now....
- Superchargers only available to Tesla drivers
- Superchargers almost always have available stalls
- Free supercharger referral miles
- Free public charging points
- Fewer EVs needing to use public charging
- Energy company incentives for EV owners
People must be protected from excessive pricing for public electric car charging
However you can be sure the government will excessively increase your other taxes to replace the loss of fuel duty!
However you can be sure the government will excessively increase your other taxes to replace the loss of fuel duty!
SpareHeadOne
Member
I think off-road parking where you can charge more than garages, most existing single garages are too narrow for modern cars because the dimensions were set in the first half of the 20th Century when cars were considerably shorter and narrower - but builders still make them that size to this day.
Our first house was terraced, but we were able to install two garage doors so that we could park our cars in the yard at the back; someone who owned the place after us has bricked them up again - I bet they'll be putting it back to the way we had it in the next ten years
Zigway
Member
It's a laudable pitch from MPs to protect those with no access to home charging from high pricing, but at the same time laughable that HMRC apply 20% VAT to public charging but we only pay 5% VAT on home electricity bills, so 15% disparity is being driven by the government itself! Surely a key point the committee should be making is to align the tax rates so at least those forced to use public charging aren't unfairly paying more tax.
Loss of fuel duty over time will certainly be a big hit, will be interesting to see how that plays out.
ACarneiro
Active Member
Be careful what you wish for. Another way to align tax rates is to increase domestic VAT to 20%…
JupiterMan
Active Member
indeed, + ground source heat pump, solar, and battery storage.
Mandate these things from the start, it will then have many benefits from economies of scale to both new home buyers and retrofits on older homes.
I've been looking at new builds recently, if they could even design them with a decent roof facing south would be a step up. Bloody dormer windows everywhere. My current house is no better, nicer views out the front but no, all the dormer windows interrupt the south facing roof.
DenkiJidousha
Member
Yes please! A lot of new builds I've seen in Scotland do have a tiny bit of Solar PV, but it looks like minimal cost token efforts to scrape in under current rules.
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