Electric cars aren’t a modern phenomenon; they have been around since the dawn of motoring. However, their early development was hampered by the limitations of lead-acid batteries. These batteries have a very low energy-to-weight ratio and a voltage that drops rapidly as they discharge, causing cars to slow down almost immediately after starting. Additionally, repeatedly discharging lead-acid batteries below 50% significantly shortens their lifespan, reducing them to just a few hundred charge cycles. These issues made petrol the dominant choice for automotive propulsion throughout most of the 20th century.

The breakthrough came with the invention of the lithium-ion battery, which solved many of the problems associated with lead-acid chemistry. This advancement paved the way for companies like Tesla, Nissan, and Renault to produce the first practical mass-market electric vehicles (EVs) just over a decade ago. Since then, battery technology has progressed rapidly, and new chemistries are continually being developed. For instance, CATL, China’s largest battery manufacturer, recently announced a battery guaranteed to last 1.24 million miles, far outlasting the lifespan of most vehicles. Concerns over battery degradation are now largely a thing of the past. Range has and continues to increase, as does charge speed. In short, all the problems of EV’s that the Daily Mail, Express, et al. like to bang on about have now more or less been solved, all bar one.

One significant challenge remains: charging infrastructure. A battery, after all, isn’t a source of energy, it needs to be charged. Now if like me you are lucky enough to have a driveway or a garage, installing a home charger allows your car to recharge overnight, often at reduced off-peak rates. With tariffs like Octopus Intelligent, you can charge your car while you sleep and drive for just a few pence per mile, compared to over 15p per mile for a petrol car getting 40 miles per gallon (September 2024). Although EVs may be more expensive upfront, the gap between the cost of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is narrowing, and the second-hand market has already reached price parity in most cases.

For those who cannot charge at home or need to travel long distances regularly, the issue shifts from “range anxiety” to “charge anxiety.” According to the EV charging website Zap-Map:

“At the end of August 2024, there were 68,273 (publicly available) electric vehicle charging points across the UK, across 35,230 charging locations. This represents a year-on-year increase of 41% in the number of public devices, with 19,823 installed since August 2023”.

While this growth in charging infrastructure is impressive, it’s not the whole story. There are only 8,353 petrol stations in the UK, so 68,273 EV chargers sounds amazing. But many public chargers are old and unreliable. Many were installed by local authorities with grant aid and no thought was given to maintenance or support. Over time the weather and vandalism (in some cases) has taken its toll and they haven’t been fixed. Others suffer from connectivity issues, requiring drivers to make phone calls to initiate charging — if anyone answers. Additionally, the CCS charging protocol, which most EVs now use, is not always implemented consistently, leading to compatibility issues between some cars and chargers.

Then there is complex array of apps, websites, and cards required to use different chargers. Finally, there is the cost. When Russia invaded Ukraine the price of electricity shot up, and so did the price of public charging. Costs have risen sharply; despite the drop in wholesale electricity prices, some providers, like Instavolt, still charge up to 85p per kWh, making it more expensive than charging at home. For the average EV, this translates to 21p per mile, ten times more than charging at home.

However, it’s not all bad news. As EV range improves, most drivers will only need to use public chargers occasionally, typically for long trips. The previous UK government mandated contactless payment systems for all new chargers, simplifying the process. Coverage has also improved significantly. Scotland has some of the best coverage in the UK outside of London. If the charger you want to use isn’t working you can usually easily find another. In eight years of driving EVs, I’ve never run out of charge—so there’s no need to panic.

We need more strategically located chargers and faster connections of new locations to the grid. The current waiting time even after planning permission is granted can be several years. Local authorities should have the power to compel companies to remove faulty chargers, freeing up space for more reliable providers. More kerbside chargers are needed for those without home charging options, and workplace charging should be incentivised. Essentially, wherever a car stops, there should be a means to charge. If competition doesn’t bring down charging costs, the government must investigate potential price-fixing and take action if necessary.

If as expected, Labour reinstates the 2030 ban on new ICE vehicle sales, the UK has 5 years in which to ready its charging infrastructure. I have no doubt we can, and indeed we need to if late adopters are to have the confidence to make the switch to EV. The clock is ticking...