'Not fit for purpose' charging network puts drivers off electric cars

It comes as official figures show the number of battery EVs licensed by Scots rose by 53.8% in a year from 4,595 to 7,069.

But strict government targets to cut carbon emissions which will see the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars and vans banned in Scotland in less than 10 years rely heavily on a switch to electric vehicles.

Now critics are warning that urgent action is needed to dramatically improve the charging network or else the targets will be missed.

The investigation by the consumer organisation Which? found motorists cannot easily use charging networks operated by different providers as they rely on a "bewildering" array of "sub-standard" apps and payment methods, while drivers were faced with unnecessarily expensive charges.

And with around 12 million electric cars expected to be on UK roads by 2030 according to the Climate Change Committee - and 1.2m of those expected in Scotland, the consumer organisation believes the public charging network as it stands is "not fit for purpose for the millions of people who will soon depend on it, and is in dire need of reform to ensure it is accessible for all consumers".

READ MORE: Want to make the switch to an electric vehicle? Here's what you need to know

Scottish Greens transport spokesperson John Finnie MSP said: “Comprehensive electric vehicle charging infrastructure will be essential to ensure Scotland reaches its climate targets.

"It’s all well and good having a target in place to phase out new petrol and diesel motors by 2030, but we need to make it as easy as possible for those who need a car to switch to a ultra-low emission model.

"Significantly improving Scotland’s public transport network is also absolutely essential if we are to encourage people to ditch their petrol and diesel cars and that’s why our budget win of free bus travel for everyone under the age of 22 will be so important when it comes into place later this year.”

The revised climate change plan aims to meet Scotland’s climate change targets - 75% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving net-zero by 2045. It involves bringing forward a ban on the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2032 to 2030, alongside more than 100 other policies to help the nation meet its emissions reduction targets.

It comes as the UK government decided to cut grants for electric car buyers, to the horror of the automotive industry as it tries to rapidly shift away from fossil fuels.

The maximum grant for electric cars was reduced from £3,000 to £2,500 with effect on Thursday. The government also lowered the price cap for cars eligible for the subsidy from £50,000 to £35,000.

Just a fortnight ago the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, extended a generous implicit subsidy for drivers of petrol and diesels by freezing fuel duty.

Which? said to ensure motorists can make the transition to EVs, the public charging network needs to work "much better" for consumers.

ore than 30 providers make up the UK’s public charging network, but Which? found almost all require motorists to download a network-specific app, or sign up for a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) card to use their charge point.

READ MORE: Why your next electric car will look amazing

It said that was a "confusing system" that would mean drivers planning long journeys would have to ensure they have the right app or RFID for chargers on their route.

The consumer organisation says that as a first step to reforming the public charging network, the government and industry should consider making public chargers universal so motorists need just one app, RFID card and account to access all networks across the UK. "While creating a universal infrastructure will have its challenges, we believe it is essential to create a simple and appealing network," said Which?

The study found that while Tesla has one of the most affordable networks of ultra-rapid public chargers, this this can only be used by Tesla car owners, "dividing the public charging network even further".

When asked if Tesla would open its supercharger network to other car brands in the future, the company said it would not make “future-looking statements”.

Tesla also has a network of “destination chargers” some of which are only available to Tesla models, whereas others can be used by any car with a Type 2 plug.

Which? says these chargers could be opened up to all cars, as Tesla confirmed there is “just a switch inside that makes it [the charging point] universal or Tesla only”.

The UK government previously advised that all rapid chargers built from spring 2020 should allow payment by card - but the consumer organisation warned that as it is not legislation, not all firms have installed card payment machines.

It said that other improvements that should be considered include avoiding single-brand networks from being created, and for Tesla to open its charging points to all EV drivers, as the UK needs more charge points.

It also called for the implementaton of a 'pence per kWh' pricing structure as opposed to charging per minute to ensure drivers are not overcharged and can easily compare costs across different providers.

According to Zap-Map, the app that enables drivers to locate and update EV charge points across the UK and Ireland, fewer than one in 10 (8%) of charge points offer rapid chargers (25-100kW) and allow card payments. Most other types of chargers do not accept cards.

Drivers who use chargers and want to pay by card can face additional costs, as some that do accept cards charge more.

Friends of the Earth Scotland director Dr Richard Dixon said: “Electric cars are an important part of the solution to addressing the fact that transport is our most polluting sector for climate change emissions. However, they still emit air pollution from tyres and brakes, and we wouldn’t get rid of problems with congestion and road safety. We need fewer cars on the road, not just newer cars.

“The UK government must act to improve the rollout and usability of vehicle charging points and ensure that people who still need to use their cars are not being ripped off by unscrupulous operators or confused by competing systems. Instead of leaving it to the market, the UK needs to take ownership of this problem and force standardisation on this industry electric vehicle drivers always have a clear picture of where their next charge up is coming from.” RAC EV spokesman Simon Williams said: “We believe the public charging network needs to be fast, reliable, easy to pay for and accessible to all so drivers can make longer journeys with the minimum of fuss. This will help ensure ‘range anxiety’ quickly becomes a thing of the past and, crucially, speed up the switch to electric.

“Nothing is more frustrating to an electric car driver than the sight of an out-of-order charge point, so we need a commitment from operators to ensuring chargers are always ‘in service’, alongside clear pricing and contactless payment. Charging up an electric car that’s nearing ‘empty’ on a journey must be made as easy as filling up a petrol or diesel car is today, with the understandable constraint that it won’t be quite as quick."

The average premiums for electric vehicles in Scotland are currently £423 - around a third lower than the nationwide average of £627, according to research by MoneySuperMarket.

Electric vehicles were found to be nearly £46 cheaper when compared to the average premium of petrol cars, which was on average around £673 - and £60 cheaper when compared to the average price of diesel cars - which was around £682.82.

It found that the most popular electric vehicle was the Tesla Model-3, which had a premium of £867, taking over from the Nissan Leaf, which was the most popular until the start of 2019 and which had an average premium of £421.

Electric cars cost more than those with internal combustion engines, but they are seen as a key part of meeting Scotland's and the UK's climate targets. Other European countries such as Norway, Germany and France subsidise electric cars.

The UK government’s announcement over slashing grants means it has effectively increased the cost of an electric car, which produces no carbon dioxide exhaust emissions while keeping the costs of burning petrol and diesel down – in the same year the country is hosting the UN’s Cop26 climate conference is being held in Glasgow.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “We have invested over £45m million since 2011 to establish a comprehensive publicly available electric vehicle charging network across Scotland. It’s expanded immensely from 55 charge points in 2013 to now over 1,600 through Scottish Government investment – with the data showing that outside of London, Scotland is way ahead of the rest of the UK in the provision of public charge points. ChargePlace Scotland is the UK’s only national charging network, with a single membership providing the same user focused experience anywhere in Scotland. In the 2020 Driver Power survey of UK charging-point providers, ChargePlace Scotland was ranked third out of 10 charging network operators by electric-car owners and was the only government-run provider included. Respondents rated its charging facilities as good value and easy to use.

“We are also making it easier to switch to an ultra-low emission vehicle with a range of loans and grants funded by the Scottish Government and delivered through our partners at Energy Saving Trust. To date, over £85 million has been provided to help people make the switch to ultra-low emission and electric vehicles. In September 2020, we extended support so that the Low Carbon Transport Loan will be extended to cover used electric vehicles for the first time.”