The AutoCharge Direct unit is aimed at removing the regional membership  models operated across the UK, which the company says restricts the distances electric vehicles can cover without having multiple access cards. A recent survey showed an EV driver covering 175 miles across the UK would need six membership cards to do so.

Rolec’s idea is to have a supporting infrastructure with no joining or membership fees and easy access, and to be able to pay by swiping a credit card. The unit can also take contactless payment via wristbands, key fobs or a pre-loaded account, and features a display screen to allow owners to sell advertising space, or use QR codes or loyalty schemes.

Kieron Alsop, Rolec EV’s managing director commented: ‘It is quite obvious, and has been so for a number of years, that the main reason the public is reluctant to consider investing and embracing the electric vehicle movement has been coined in a single phrase, “range anxiety”.’