We are not set up for electric vehicles in this country

[Pollyannaatemyjelly]

We have an electric vehicle. We tend not to do too many long journeys but today it was inevitable. We have visit a very popular destination via major motorways but there is not one fast charger available on our route. I've just stopped on the M5 on what is supposed to be a dual charger (so more than one vehicle can charge) but it's not working. I've had to wait 20 minutes for the vehicle next to me to charge before I can even begin to charge mine. There is no chance this county can become all electric when the infrastructure is so poor.

They don’t care that you have no alternative. They will continue to make life as impossible and expensive as they can until we are in our houses most of the time.

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

So you stopped at a motorway service station which was bound to be crowded only and had a dual charger and were surprised to find you couldn't charge? With an electric car you need to plan in your charging stops, expecting to leave the motorway and find a charging station with multiple chargers a little way off the motorway. Unfortunately National Grid lines do not follow motorways and chargers need to to be placed where there is a good electricity supply (see how many there are in Banbury for example). You also need to stop when you have sufficient charge left to get to your backup charger. Planning is key here. Download and use apps like "Zapmap" or "ABRP".

Yep, I don't disagree.

But the point of electric vehicles isn't to to a direct swap from petrol/diesel, it's to reduce car ownership in general.

You're lucky

My council has installed 18 if its own chargers for a city of over 360,000 people

There are also commercial charging points contributing to a total of 50 devices for the city and its outskirts.

Large parts of the city's housing are terraced streets and blocks of flats with no off road parking.

It's getting better and it will continue getting better. We bought our electric 5-6 years ago and the number of charging points has grown exponentially since then.

@margotrose then you'd think they wouldn't be forcing people back into offices that can work perfectly well from home.

Some insurance companies are now refusing to insure electric cars, John Lewis insurance was mentioned. Best to check with your insurance company before you buy one!

I agree. Friend has an EV and gets very anxious about charging. As usual though in the UK, we try to force change before infrastructure is in place.

Of course I’m spouting nonsense, until you realise there is no high street left for shopping. Your car is now unaffordable without a loan and tethers you to a well defined radius. The local ULEZ fines you for entering or leaving an area. Your workplace is now WFH and the office shut. Your local supermarket has no staff and you haven’t talked to another human for five days.

It likely is about reducing car ownership.

There are issues, the ones about the environment so production of batteries, electricity are the most legitimate. My understanding is electric is the current least worst option. Something even better might appear soon.

I think some of the other "problems' are just policy/decision making and arent actually issues at all if people decided to tackle them they would dissapear.

Fyi i drive a non ulez compliant diesel! As i cant afford to replace it. Noone is banning these existing cars. They will be around for years Im awaiting the next generation of hybrids or electrics to be second hand before i change cars. Im hoping some of the cheaper electric cars currently available in the far east come over here.

My area is predominantly flats with no off road parking either. The point is it has gone from no charging points about 4 years ago to multiple on each street in the area. It’s entirely possible to provide charging for properties that don’t have driveways to install their own charging facilities.
There are 575 council funded charging points now, with the goal of 1000 by mid next year.
It’s a rapidly expanding sector, I’m only pointing out that you can’t only compare the provision today and claim it’s not possible to increase the number of EVs.

Cool story.

I agree. I’ve got a hybrid which I love but im
sure how the practicality of electric would work. We live in a house where our parking space and garage is in a separate block - the garage is leasehold as there is a property above it and I believe part of our lease states we aren’t allowed to install electric in our garage.
there aren’t any chargers where I work. There’s a few at supermarkets and a local pub nearby but not a massive provision.
I have noticed new properties being built are being given EV charging points

It’s almost like there isn’t one big overseeing “they”.

It's not just the intrastructure for charging electric vehicles. They're a lot heavier because of the batteries. They need different tyres because of this, also could that be why road surfaces aren't lasting as long and we're getting more potholes? Not to mention the issue of what to do with the batteries at end of life. Electric vehicles may well be a white elephant, or the betamax of the car world. Time will tell!

I don’t want to burst your bubble but you realise you’re not actually ‘free’ don’t you? 🥴. You exist within a carefully orchestrated and constantly evolving set of laws put in place by the government of the moment.

Have had an electric car for 3 years and only been stranded once but that was because the car had a software fault and wouldn't charge, had the car towed and got a courtesy vehicle to get home in. We always plan ahead of time where we'd charge on long journeys, even drove across Europe several times, that was a bit more difficult but with a bit of planning, we managed just fine.

@Coffeerum indeed!

Don't expect logic from the government!

I agree that the goal isn't for everyone to drive electric, it's for fewer people to own cars altogether.

I agree that the infrastructure isn't ready for current electric cars never mind an increase of electric car ownership but I have heard this from people not living in the UK too.

Agreed . The lack of infrastructure is a major hindrance to people having the confidence to go electric

It obviously depends on the local council's policies, priorities and resources.

I wonder how many councils are like yours. Certainly not ours

@Spendonsend
at the newest ultra rapid chargepoints of which there are now several hundred, I can rapid charge my 300 mile car from 15 to 90% in about 10 minutes. That will become the norm. That’s less time than it takes to nip to the loo and queue for a costa

half an hour at a rapid would be rare in the newest generation of cars. normal 3-4 years ago.

@SlightlyJaded who is the “they” who are talking of banning EVs in multi stories?

I agree with whoever said that most EV hates/critics don’t have experience of one. I’ve been EV for a few years now: it’s never been a problem.