Disparities in the UK charging infrastructure, including location and costs, need addressing to help convince fleets to transition to EVs.

Venson says more reliable motorway charging points are emerging, supported by work by firms such as Ionity

Venson Automotive Solutions warns that the cost of charging and payment methods are far from cohesive across the country, as shown by recent Zap-Map data. This reveals the acceleration rate of installing charging points is clearly disproportionate across the UK and that some UK local authorities have bid for government funding for charging devices, and others have not, with London benefiting from a much faster expansion of its charging infrastructure than any other region.

Alison Bell, Venson operations director, added: “Inconsistencies like charging point access, costs and even the way drivers pay to charge their vehicles, are just creating further barriers.”

And data obtained by British Gas underlines how EV drivers now face a ‘postcode lottery’ for the cost of charging an electric vehicle. It’s found that 21 councils across England and Wales allow motorists to top up their batteries for free, yet in other areas drivers are charged up to £4 per kilowatt hour (kWh).

While some operators still require drivers to have an app before charging, joint solutions and payment apps are now available, and some operators offer reduced charging rates under a monthly subscription to help higher-mileage drivers.

“Whilst payments have been simplified, the network needs to improve so that drivers have the flexibility and convenience they need to make the switch to electric,” continued Alison Bell. “As discussed in our recent white paper, ‘Living with Your Electric Vehicle’, motorway charging continues to be problematic, particularly where charging points use first generation tech that can be unreliable. The good news is, though, that progress is being made and more reliable motorway charging points are emerging and the tide is turning towards a reliable public network.”

The Ionity joint venture has chargers at motorway service areas, while Instavolt has recently launched a rapid charging hub on the M6. Another positive move is the KiaCharge service through which users can access some 21,000 charging points via a single account.

Venson added: “The emergence of a new trend for energy and oil giants buying up EV charging networks is another interesting development; BP Pulse is part of the BP group, Shell has its own network of rapid charging points, Total recently acquired the Source London network and Pod Point is owned by EDF Energy. Clearly, the future direction of the automotive industry is electric, and it is a good sign that industry giants recognise the importance of a reliable network. However, major fleet stakeholders will need to be won over if we are to collectively meet the Government’s new EV world deadline.”

To download a free copy of the Venson white paper on ‘Living with your electric vehicle’, click here.