David Densley, SSE’s Head of Sustainable Transport, answers some key questions on the performance and ability of electric vehicles.
How much do EVs cost on average?
It works the same way as standard diesel and petrol cars – it depends very much on the kind of car you are looking for. Whether you want all-electric or a hybrid model? Do you commute long distance every day or potter about town? This will have an impact.
There are some EVs on the market starting from around £16K for a basic model up to £35k with all the additional extras etc. It really depends on what your budget is and how you are looking to use your car.
This year there will be more new plug-in electric vehicles on the market from the likes of BMW, Volvo, Ford and Volkswagen, in addition to the established Nissan, Toyota, Renault, Vauxhall, Chevrolet and Mitsubishi models. The increase in choice is sure to drive up demand and have a positive impact on the price.
How many miles can you get out of a single charge?
Again it depends on the type of car. Some models can give you around 124 miles from a single charge.
What’s the performance like?
Electric cars are a wonderful smooth and quiet drive. There’s no gear changing and the majority of electric cars can go from 0 – 60mph in around 10 seconds with top speeds of 90mph.
How ‘green’ are they?
The average petrol or diesel car emits 140 – 160g of CO2 per km ‘well to wheel’.* Electric vehicles using average grid electricity emit only around 77g of CO2 ‘well to wheel’ – this would be zero if it used renewable electricity!
Electric cars also have zero emission at the tail pipe which means that there are no harmful emissions that cause poor air quality in cities.
* The ‘well to wheel’ figure is used here instead of the normally published ‘tank to wheel’ due to of 15 – 30g added to take into account the ‘well to tank’ CO2 of the production and supply chain.
What’s the average cost for a single charge?
Current fuel costs are around 3p per mile using standard rate electricity. For a full charge that could work out around £3.
Should you buy one now or hold off until later?
The increase in car production of electric vehicles is sure to drive up the demand and decrease prices making them on a par in terms of affordability with regular petrol or diesel cars. Again in depends on your personal circumstances as to whether now is the right time to buy. They are certainly great fun to drive and cheap to run. You don’t pay road tax and the ChargePlace Scotland free EV charge point offer is an added bonus.
Is there enough EV infrastructure to accommodate EVs?
Most everyday driving can be covered simply by charging at home, preferably overnight when there is less demand on the system and advantage can be taken of cheaper off-peak electricity to recharge the car (for customers on ‘time of use’ tariffs). Public infrastructure is also being installed as part of the ChargePlace Scotland project and many supermarkets already have charging points. Transport Scotland has ambitious plans to have several hundred public recharging points available by the end of the year.
How does the ChargePlace Scotland scheme for a home charger work?
If you have or are intending to buy an electric vehicle you will need to complete an application form that can be downloaded from the Energy Saving Trust’s web site. The Energy Saving Trust (EST) will then pass your details on to SSE who will arrange for a site survey and quotation. Once the EST has approved the quotation, you then pay SSE for the installation work and claim it back from the EST.
You can apply by visiting:
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Travel/Driving/Electric-vehicles/Domestic-charging-point-grants
Are there similar schemes available in England and Wales?
Yes. Find out more by visiting:
http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plug-in-car-grant
What are the benefits of an EV charging point compared to basic 13 amp plug?
There are two main advantages. One is that a 32 Amp charge point is a lot safer. Secondly it chargers a lot quicker too, with charging time being reduced by around a third, depending on the vehicle.