EV drivers would like to see the charging experience improved in several ways:
1. An increased availability of chargers
68.9% of those surveyed want to see the increased availability of chargers.
According to Zap Map’s latest data there are currently 28,875 charge points across the UK, 535 of which were added in the last 30 days.
However, the UK’s infrastructure is not maintaining pace with demand, and alongside the announcement of an increase in the sales of BEVs (battery operated vehicles) the SMMT also made clear their concerns around the UK’s inadequate charging infrastructure, finding that only one new charger was installed for every 52 new EVs registered in 2021.
Availability of charge points also varies considerably depending on where you live in the country – with London housing over 30% of all UK charge points.
2. The ability to roam
55.1% of respondents would like the ability to use a single charge card to access and pay for charging.
We are now finally starting to see roaming partnerships between charge point operators in the UK, which will enable drivers to sign-up to one, but access all, under a partner network – making EV charging more convenient.
Mer is fully supportive of EV charge point ‘interoperability’ in the UK, as demonstrated by our recent roaming partnership with NewMotion and Allstar. We’re setting up more roaming partnerships and are aiming to ease driver concerns about range anxiety and ease of access.
3. Access to faster charging speeds
49.5% of those surveyed would like to see increased access to faster charging speeds.
With newer EVs accepting increased charging speeds, there’s a growing need to develop a network of rapid and ultra-rapid chargers for people who need quick top-ups. Read more about the development of rapid and ultra-fast charging networks here.
4. Increased vehicle range
Range anxiety used to be the top barrier to EV adoption. And although these fears have eased considerably, 28.6% of those surveyed would still like to see car batteries with increased range.
The average car trip in the UK is only 6.8 miles (according to a CarWow study) – so most drivers needn’t be too concerned about range, given the average EV can travel up to 200 miles on a single charge.
That being said, range is still very much a focus of manufacturers. And there’s now two models on the market capable of over 400 miles in range. The title for the longest-range EV now belongs to the Mercedes EQS with a 107.8kWh battery capable of 453 miles.