UK Ministers to end rip-off charging of electric cars

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Muddywheels

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Aug 29, 2016
Messages
242
Location
East Riding of Yorkshire
Ministers are preparing to tackle overpriced electric car charging over fears that it can cost as much to run a green vehicle as a diesel car.

Reforms set to be introduced next year will make roadside pricing for electricity – which can reach £7.50 for a half-hour charge - more consistent, so motorists are not put off buying environmentally friendly cars.

The new rules will give drivers easier access to public charge points and set common standards for pricing.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4069710/Ministers-end-rip-charging-electric-cars-mean-green-vehicles-cost-run-diesels.html
 
That's got to be good news... I've never yet used a public charging point but would like to one day if they get the cost/membership model sorted out.
 
The trouble with this is that, unless the government is prepared to build the charging network, it will simply wither away. The current prices are pretty much what they need to be to make it a commercial project.
 
The trouble with this is that, unless the government is prepared to build sufficient dispatchable power generation capacity this will simply hasten the coming crisis with electricity supply. This is where the lunacy of the Climate Change Act meets engineering practicality.
 
I've paid £20 for charge your car access card, £130 for cable and pay 15p kW round York currently which is about my limit - it costs me about 75p for an 80% rapid charge as there always seems to be 30% left when it starts running ICE

I'm not prepared to pay ecotricity rates on motorway which I think is what they plan to sort
 
When did any government sort ANYTHING when it comes to the motoring public? We pay astonishing amounts of money, to drive on roads that wouldn't be out of place in the thirld world. Don't hold your breath on this one!
 
Regulo said:
When did any government sort ANYTHING when it comes to the motoring public? We pay astonishing amounts of money, to drive on roads that wouldn't be out of place in the thirld world. Don't hold your breath on this one!

Er, I don't pay anything to pay on any roads in my PHEV :lol:
 
I meant the motoring public in general! Even I have to put some petrol in occasionally, and a big percentage of that goes to the treasury in fuel duty and VAT. I don't suppose our immunity to the Road Fund will last too long. Chin up! ;)
 
greendwarf said:
Regulo said:
When did any government sort ANYTHING when it comes to the motoring public? We pay astonishing amounts of money, to drive on roads that wouldn't be out of place in the thirld world. Don't hold your breath on this one!

Er, I don't pay anything to pay on any roads in my PHEV :lol:


Yes you do, you just don't realise it. A chunk of council tax goes on local roads be that repair, new roads or even the winter gritting.
 
Lance said:
greendwarf said:
Regulo said:
When did any government sort ANYTHING when it comes to the motoring public? We pay astonishing amounts of money, to drive on roads that wouldn't be out of place in the thirld world. Don't hold your breath on this one!

Er, I don't pay anything to pay on any roads in my PHEV :lol:


Yes you do, you just don't realise it. A chunk of council tax goes on local roads be that repair, new roads or even the winter gritting.

But as I live in London and am over 60 and still working, my free tube & bas pass (paid for by council tax) is worth more than I pay in Council Tax - eat my shorts! :lol:
 
Surely the only viable way forward with public charging is for the govenment to insist that - where they have space to do so - all petrol stations should have at least four charge points that are always reliably maintained, fully operational and govenment subsidised for price. EV punters could then feel safe to charge day or night and to the benifit of the station spend half an hour consuming Costa, or scoffing M&S wraps. Although the govenment should also insist that petrol stations improve their toilet facilities too, to make the prospect of an half hour stop more inviting.

The bit I still don't understand regarding in particular the PHEV, is that everybody (including Mitsubishi) says not to use 30min charge points 'too often' (whatever that may mean) as this practice will deplete the life of the batteries. Does this 30min charge depletion problem apply to other makes of EV? What exactly is 'too often'. This is a horrible flaw in the concept of public PHEV charging. I think maybe it should be made very clear that home charging, and its associated installation costs and logistics, are the reality of Mitsubishi PHEV ownership. Don't know about other EVs. I suspect Tesla may have the resourses to be the exception, but I doubt I'll ever be wealthy enough to find out.
 
Perhaps now is the time to widen the EV PHEV cost savings to all owners.

At the moment most of subsidy is aimed at business users, maybe the government should cut back on these tax breaks and use the money to build the substantial EV charging network needed to get us over the need for still using petrol.
This surely will hasten the use of (sustainable?) electric to power transport.
Also spreading the cost savings over the vehicle lifetime will help slow down the huge depreciation which seems to effect EV / PHEV vehicles.

Time for a new approach is needed as it doesn't seem that private companies can sustain the EV infrastructure and make a profit.

And it would be fairer.
 
3 of the 6 charge points at York Designer Outlet were blocked by non EVs BH Monday - a Leaf owner was forced to drive onto paths to charge so he could get home

He asked the staff in Outlet for help but got nowhere - apparently 1 of the vehicles was a staff car - I've seen staff parking on electric charge bays at York Vanguard too but usually spaces left so never said anything

I use the rapid charge if available for 20-25 minutes it takes to get 80% then move so EVs can use it - parking in bays if not using them is pretty selfish
 
The issue of charging points is essentially a stand off.

Some consumers (us!) need to be brave and take the risk. Then providers can see a Return possibility and so invest more money into it.

Very few companies will take these risks at the moment while the tech is still comparatively infant and so growth will be slow.

The charging stations really only took off when Tesla (like them or loathe them)built their network, which I think was one of the biggest shoves forward for EV as a practical reality.
 
I don't know about the UK but often using public charge points and especially CHAdeMO ones makes no economic sense for plug-in owners. I will only use a standard public charge point to claim a parking spot (and will, of course, charge then). If I anticipate a longer stay of a couple of hours of more I will use a free one if available.
 
NightPHEVer said:
Surely the only viable way forward with public charging is for the govenment to insist that - where they have space to do so - all petrol stations should have at least four charge points that are always reliably maintained, fully operational and govenment subsidised for price. EV punters could then feel safe to charge day or night and to the benifit of the station spend half an hour consuming Costa, or scoffing M&S wraps. Although the govenment should also insist that petrol stations improve their toilet facilities too, to make the prospect of an half hour stop more inviting.

The bit I still don't understand regarding in particular the PHEV, is that everybody (including Mitsubishi) says not to use 30min charge points 'too often' (whatever that may mean) as this practice will deplete the life of the batteries. Does this 30min charge depletion problem apply to other makes of EV? What exactly is 'too often'. This is a horrible flaw in the concept of public PHEV charging. I think maybe it should be made very clear that home charging, and its associated installation costs and logistics, are the reality of Mitsubishi PHEV ownership. Don't know about other EVs. I suspect Tesla may have the resourses to be the exception, but I doubt I'll ever be wealthy enough to find out.
Yes it does. But full-electric vehicles have no choice but to use them.
 
One problem is that there is no 'standard' payment system. Charging points around here are owned by a few different operators which would mean numerous subscriptions charges.

Why can't we just us the normal telephone apps/ mobile payments systems used for parking
 
Parking is just as bad! I've got 4 different apps on my phone for that! Best solution is pay at charger - just tap the credit card on the rfid sensor and away you go.
 
jaapv said:
I don't know about the UK but often using public charge points and especially CHAdeMO ones makes no economic sense for plug-in owners. I will only use a standard public charge point to claim a parking spot (and will, of course, charge then). If I anticipate a longer stay of a couple of hours of more I will use a free one if available.

Increasingly, it makes no sense here either. My local car parks (Hertfordshire) have charging points, but these days they cost money - more than the petrol equivalent of the charge - and the parking space is no longer free either.
 
I'm lucky where I live - I got a charge your car card (£20 pa) and can now park free in York (normally over £2 ph) while recharging @ 15p/kwh :mrgreen:

Swmbo likes the York designer outlet which has free parking and they only charge 15p kwh there too for Chademo or rapid so I use that too - provided they're not blocked by ICE owners who like to be near the entrance :evil:

York Vangaurd is another of her haunts and they have free electric there :cool:

I used to hate York but it's grown on me since I got the phev ;)

I'm just waiting for delivery of a Lexus RC 300h F Sport in September as a second vehicle (swmbo is hopefully going to use the phev) - I will be using the Lexus for trips where I am unable to get cheap electric - not sure it makes sense financially but I figure I should do it now while I can still get in and out :lol:
 
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