RUNNING an EV on public charging networks can now be more expensive than keeping a petrol motor fuelled up, it has been revealed.
Electric car owners are facing hefty price hikes as the cost of living crisis pushes the price of energy ever higher.
AlamyNew data has revealed that it can now be more expensive to run an EV on public chargers than to drive a petrol car[/caption]
Data from charging point supplier Zap-Map has shown a spike of between 16% and 20% in cost for those using the UK’s public EV infrastructure.
Based on current fuel prices and average fuel economy, as provided by the RAC and NimbleFins, driving a petrol car today will see you swallow a per mile cost of 20p, compared to 17p for diesel vehicles.
In comparison, E.ON Energy state that modern EVs have an average battery capacity of 40kWh, while Select Car Leasing put their average economy at 3 miles per kWh.
Taking into account the RAC’s average cost of rapid public chargers of 71.41p per kWh, this works out to a per mile price of just under 24p at the higher end.
However, it should be pointed out that this is at the very limit of what you could expect to pay for public charging.
Rapid chargers are more expensive than their standard counterparts because, as the name suggests, they allow you to fill up faster.
But if you’re willing to tough out a longer wait, it will likely still be cheaper to refuel an EV than an internal combustion car.
There are over 60 different charging networks across the country, each offering their own particular services and rates in a bid to compete for the growing number of EV owners.
Likewise, the cost of charging is likely to come down going forward as inflation slows and as more chargers become available.
For instance, we have previously reported that the majority of UK council areas currently boast no public roadside charging at all.
This is set to be addressed in the coming years, as the Government has made a billion-pound investment in rolling out more public chargers by 2030.
Fortunately for EV lovers, there is a far cheaper alternative in the form of home charging.
While rapid public charging costs an average of 71p per kWh, home chargers sees that drop to 32p per kWh, according to PodPoint.
That in turn drops your per mile cost down to just 10p, around half that of a petrol car.
Another top tip is to avoid peak charging times, where both public and home energy supplies are more expensive.
Under EDF’s new tariff, users charging between midnight and 5am would pay just over 7p per kWh, for a per mile charge of just over 2p, making it around ten times cheaper to run on battery power than petrol.
Home charger owners are best placed to take advantage of this as many suppliers allow customers to use apps to set charging times in advance so they charge up during off-peak hours.
Speaking to MailOnline, consumer rights expert Martyn James called home chargers the “obvious choice” for motorists, though he did warn that it can cost more than £400 to have one installed.
It comes after experts warned that a viral hack to remove dents from your bodywork could actually be both dangerous and costly.
Meanwhile, we gave readers a look inside the world’s most lavish caravan, including its own garage and a five-star finish.