UK switching to electric vehicles discussion

[Bletchleyite]

Crickey I hope when I next hire a van its not EV.

Maybe it will, and maybe you'll love its power and ease of driving.

I think people just fear change.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Maybe it will, and maybe you'll love its power and ease of driving.

I think people just fear change.

I am not going to cope with all that faff to charge it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I am not going to cope with all that faff to charge it.

I suspect with the war going on at the moment getting fuel for your ICE is shortly going to become more faff...

 

[Peter Sarf]

I suspect with the war going on at the moment getting fuel for your ICE is shortly going to become more faff...

Possibly. So I won't be driving anywhere.
I think Energy is going to get even more expensive than it has been.

 

[Mawkie]

There are a number of steps to get a charger to work:

1. find it (not always so simple)
2. is it working?
3. is someone else using it?
4. does it accept the way that you want to pay?
5. does it actually start charging?

1. There are 88,000 changing points in the UK. Zapmap lists most of them, with pricing, availability, and whether out of service or in service. Most tell you when someone last charged. My car (and I think all now) guide you to available chargers. I've never had a problem.

2.
Easy to see how many chargers are available, what type of charger, payment types accepted.

3.
Availability of charger is in the app.

4. See photo 2.

5. The government has mandated a 99% 'uptime for charge point operators, with the threat of £10,000 fines for non compliance.

There has been some difficulties maintaining that level, but there are reports online with figures

UK CPOs grapple with complex barriers to 99% uptime

Chargepoint operators face mounting challenges meeting the UK's 99% uptime mandate, from maintenance to hardware reliability and regulatory compliance.

www.evinfrastructurenews.com

A survey of over 200 senior UK CPOs revealed that only 3.9% of operators currently meet or exceed the mandated uptime threshold. While 74% report uptime above 95%, over a quarter (26%) fall within the 97–98.4% range, leaving many operators vulnerable to financial penalties of up to £10,000, not to mention reputational damage.

Seems like some way to go, but these figures are for individual chargers, not the whole array. If one isn't working, just move to the next one.

 

[jon0844]

I've found contactless payments can be hit and miss even if they are theoretically accepted but I've never had an issue using my Electroverse card.

Plug and charge (no card needed) should also become more common, currently limited to only a few Ionity sites in the UK I think (excluding Tesla sites for Tesla only).

Gridserve now has autocharge which is having some teething problems. Fastned also has support.

I haven't got it working yet and don't know when I'll need a public charger again. Maybe in a week or two.

 

[Noddy]

I have an Electroverse NFC card and apps from Pod Point, Ionity, Charge Point, bp pulse and Blink UK.

Some of that is clearly a choice rather than a requirement. For example Ionity is always cheaper if you pay via Electroverse rather than PAYG direct, and the Ionity subscription can be purchased within the Electroverse app for the same monthly price. Live data feed is exactly the same as well.

 

[3141]

I’m really sorry about this, and I hope the treatment continues to go well.

Thanks very much, but no need to be sorry. It's not unusual for someone aged 86 to have something seriously wrong. The oncologist tells me he thinks I've done remarkably well under the treatment, which is why I'm hopeful I'll be among the 60% going on beyond five years and that I'll extend that further. There were recent reports about a new radiology treatment which may be available when my current medications cease to be effective, and if not I'll have had the five years or more that I probably wouldn't have had if this had happened to me ten years earlier. Apart from this problem I'm generally fit, I can walk at least three miles, I can engage in discussions such as this one about EVs [device for remaining relevant!] and it's worth making the most of things.

 

[Snow1964]

February 2026 car sales data

Battery electric 21,840 cars 24.2%
Plug in hybrid PHEV 10,438 cars 11.6%
hybrid electric 11,807 cars 13.1%
Petrol 41,935 cars 46.5%
Diesel 4080 cars 4.5%

Electric cars down a bit on January (but Feb is a fairly quiet month as many wait for new registration plate in March)

UK New Car Registration Data - Latest Figures & Statistics | SMMT

Discover the latest UK car registration data: new car registration statistics, the number of cars in the UK, and more.

www.smmt.co.uk

 

[Western Lord]

February 2026 car sales data

Battery electric 21,840 cars 24.2%
Plug in hybrid PHEV 10,438 cars 11.6%
hybrid electric 11,807 cars 13.1%
Petrol 41,935 cars 46.5%
Diesel 4080 cars 4.5%

Electric cars down a bit on January (but Feb is a fairly quiet month as many wait for new registration plate in March)

UK New Car Registration Data - Latest Figures & Statistics | SMMT

Discover the latest UK car registration data: new car registration statistics, the number of cars in the UK, and more.

www.smmt.co.uk

There's a difference between registering a car and actually selling it.

 

[bspahh]

1. There are 88,000 changing points in the UK. Zapmap lists most of them, with pricing, availability, and whether out of service or in service. Most tell you when someone last charged. My car (and I think all now) guide you to available chargers. I've never had a problem.

2. Easy to see how many chargers are available, what type of charger, payment types accepted.

3. Availability of charger is in the app.

4. See photo 2.

5. The government has mandated a 99% 'uptime for charge point operators, with the threat of £10,000 fines for non compliance.

There has been some difficulties maintaining that level, but there are reports online with figures

UK CPOs grapple with complex barriers to 99% uptime

Chargepoint operators face mounting challenges meeting the UK's 99% uptime mandate, from maintenance to hardware reliability and regulatory compliance.

www.evinfrastructurenews.com

Seems like some way to go, but these figures are for individual chargers, not the whole array. If one isn't working, just move to the next one.

If I am driving and need to charge, there is a limit to how much attention I want to give to checking the status, cost, charging methods and reviews for a charger.

I can plan a route beforehand, but that planning can go out of the window if I am told I need to stop for a toilet break. I wouldn't avoid a charger because its busy now if I'm a couple of hours away.

I have had my car since August and driven ~10k miles. I have had to use paid chargers for four trips: to Skye and the Highlands, to Bath, London and Brighton. My success rate is about 75% for leaving with the charge I wanted over about 25 attempts.

In time I am sure that the charging experience will improve. If I have my phone with me, and its connected to the car, then the payment stuff ought to just work. Tesla seem to have sorted out the workflow to "drive up to charger, plug in, walk away".

 

[notverydeep]

There's a difference between registering a car and actually selling it.

I doubt this makes a huge difference to the proportions in the SMMT figures. Cars registered three to nine months earlier but being sold now will make up for those vehicles registered now that will not be sold immediately. Overall, the market seems to have more buyers that are price sensitive enough to avoid new cars, but who are willing to buy nearly new, very low mileage vehicles than those who buy new would typically be willing to sell. Thus the ex-demonstrator (or whatever) category exists to allow the industry to manufacture products that it will sell as effectively 'fake second hand' at a discount to this market without undercutting its actual new car sales, even though the cars in this category are 'new' to all intents and purposes. I strongly suspect that happens consistently in both the ICE and electric vehicles markets...

 

[jon0844]

If I am driving and need to charge, there is a limit to how much attention I want to give to checking the status, cost, charging methods and reviews for a charger.

I can plan a route beforehand, but that planning can go out of the window if I am told I need to stop for a toilet break. I wouldn't avoid a charger because its busy now if I'm a couple of hours away.

That's fair enough but if you stop at a services then chances are you can just plug in there instead. It may not be where you intended to charge and it may cost more, but for convenience alone it may be worth just charging there.

 

[trebor79]

Have a family member who mentions their opposition to EVs whenever the topic comes up, and swears hydrogen is the real answer.

Maybe for HGVs doing the length of the country but by the time they build out a network of hydrogen filling stations I wouldn't be surprised if the battery problem had rapidly progressed even for HGVs. It's just not happening for cars and the like though.

Hydrogen is the answer for nothing, unless you want to pay 10x fuel costs, which nobody does.
HGVs CNG is already have significant market penetrative and the o frstructure in growing. This can be produced from biomethane, which if produced from waste and manures is zero carbon footprint. Can even be net negative carbon depending upon feedstock and whether the CO2 in the biogas is also captured.
I so saw my first EV HGV in the wild themother day.

That is one of the reasons I have not bought an EV car - the technology is still relatively new. It has taken over 100 years to get petrol engines to their current level of efficiency and cleanliness - how long will it be before EV cars are cheap enough and have sufficient range to compete with petrol cars? (and we're not there yet)

Errrr. A BEV is already way cleaner than any engine, and about 5x more efficient on an energy input per mile basis.
I would suggest the range is sufficient, based upon my 35,000 miles per year. Yes I have to "fuel up" more often than with ICE but 95% of that is happening whilst I'm sleeping, working or away from the car. High power DC chargers mean that when I do need to charge en route by the time I've had a pee and bought a drink the car has enough to get to wherever.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Mar 2026 ==

I am not going to cope with all that faff to charge it.

Faff? Plug it in, tap a card and, err, walk away. Complete faff I'm sure.

If I am driving and need to charge, there is a limit to how much attention I want to give to checking the status, cost, charging methods and reviews for a charger.

I give zero attention to all that and just let the car plan it. It's all updated in real time and will automatically change if sites get busy with zero interaction from me.

I can plan a route beforehand, but that planning can go out of the window if I am told I need to stop for a toilet break. I wouldn't avoid a charger because its busy now if I'm a couple of hours away.

Well if you're stopping anyway you might as well plug in for a few minutes.

I have had my car since August and driven ~10k miles. I have had to use paid chargers for four trips: to Skye and the Highlands, to Bath, London and Brighton. My success rate is about 75% for leaving with the charge I wanted over about 25 attempts.

In time I am sure that the charging experience will improve. If I have my phone with me, and its connected to the car, then the payment stuff ought to just work. Tesla seem to have sorted out the workflow to "drive up to charger, plug in, walk away".

You seem to have been unlucky.

 

[jon0844]

Faff? Plug it in, tap a card and, err, walk away. Complete faff I'm sure.

With plug and charge/autocharge and so on - you can skip the card tapping too! Tesla owners have enjoyed this luxury for years, but now it's coming to most EVs and it isn't even something you need to buy a new EV to get in most cases. Admittedly I haven't got it working for me yet, but I charge so infrequently that it's more a case of me simply not having had a chance to try again yet.

I know what I prefer; plugging in, plug locks, walk away - return after doing something productive (or perhaps doing nothing and having a rest instead), unlock, unplug - over pushing in, holding/squeezing, waiting (can't do anything else at this point except stand around like a lemon), removing it, possibly having to wipe hands or around fuel cap if there was any leakage, then go pay (yes, you may have paid at the pump).

Isn't it more productive to be able to go to the toilet or grab a coffee while your car is 'filling up' instead of doing that before or after filling up?

 

[bspahh]

I give zero attention to all that and just let the car plan it. It's all updated in real time and will automatically change if sites get busy with zero interaction from me.

There things which Tesla seems to do well. I object to their CEO. I'm sure he will get by without me.

Well if you're stopping anyway you might as well plug in for a few minutes.

A lot of public toilets are not close to a public charger.

You seem to have been unlucky.

I hope so. If its just random errors, then they should go away. If its something that I have been doing wrong, then they will keep happening until I change.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Faff? Plug it in, tap a card and, err, walk away. Complete faff I'm sure.

I was referring to the charging in Europe mentioned above. Not going to install apps etc and struggle to find a working/compatible charger just for a

...........
Isn't it more productive to be able to go to the toilet or grab a coffee while your car is 'filling up' instead of doing that before or after filling up?

Trouble is I do not pay service station prices for petrol (or charging) while using the loo.

I will wait for the charging regime to mature before dipping in. Especially in Europe as it seems more tortuous there (I was a bit surprised its that convoluted in Europe tbh).

Like most tech. I hang back and let others pay to be guinea pigs or play with beta versions.

 

[Mawkie]

I was referring to the charging in Europe mentioned above. Not going to install apps etc and struggle to find a working/compatible charger just for a

It's frustration to hear this especially in the face of all the evidence provided in this thread. I've shown you how a person could drive from London to Milan with 3 charges. That's using just one network (Tesla). Not everyone wants to use the lowest price and most reliable charging network in the world, but Europe reached a milestone of 1 Million chargers last year. So to push the point, a drive to Milan is using 3 of a million chargers.

I will wait for the charging regime to mature before dipping in. Especially in Europe as it seems more tortuous there (I was a bit surprised its that convoluted in Europe tbh).

It isn't. Tesla operate the same way abroad as they do in the UK (plug in, walk away). Electroverse operates on a pan-European level if you don't like Elon and choose to use different charge point operators (plug in, tap a card, walk away).

As a last resort you can tap a contactless card if you don't like apps.

For further info on European driving, Mr EV drove to Italy last year in an EV as he does most years. It's worth a look.

 

[MotCO]

Errrr. A BEV is already way cleaner than any engine, and about 5x more efficient on an energy input per mile basis.
I would suggest the range is sufficient, based upon my 35,000 miles per year. Yes I have to "fuel up" more often than with ICE but 95% of that is happening whilst I'm sleeping, working or away from the car. High power DC chargers mean that when I do need to charge en route by the time I've had a pee and bought a drink the car has enough to get to wherever.

I think you are missing the point. I don't want to be a guinea pig - I would rather buy the final product, or almost final, rather than just the work in progress. And we are not there just yet.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I think you are missing the point. I don't want to be a guinea pig - I would rather buy the final product, or almost final, rather than just the work in progress. And we are not there just yet.

I agree, that is my approach. Wait until the product has matured enough. Now when enough is arrived at is up for debate of course.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Mar 2026 ==

It's frustration to hear this especially in the face of all the evidence provided in this thread. I've shown you how a person could drive from London to Milan with 3 charges. That's using just one network (Tesla). Not everyone wants to use the lowest price and most reliable charging network in the world, but Europe reached a milestone of 1 Million chargers last year. So to push the point, a drive to Milan is using 3 of a million chargers.


It isn't. Tesla operate the same way abroad as they do in the UK (plug in, walk away). Electroverse operates on a pan-European level if you don't like Elon and choose to use different charge point operators (plug in, tap a card, walk away).

As a last resort you can tap a contactless card if you don't like apps.

For further info on European driving, Mr EV drove to Italy last year in an EV as he does most years. It's worth a look.

There seems to be a fair amount of conflicting views on charging and it seems it is more risky in Europe. I will hang back especially as I hope I have a current ICE car that will last circa ten years. It will be a shock if the van I might hire requires me to cope with something new though - especially as charging seems to be a problem for some. So I hope I can wait for the charging infrastructure to mature. Without a drive charging is not going to be cheap anyway.

I do not hear people talk of problems filling up with petrol. Although we will see in the next few weeks ! - so far no queue at my local petrol station though.

 

[jon0844]

Trouble is I do not pay service station prices for petrol (or charging) while using the loo.

I don't either but I'd generally stop at a services for a toilet break as they're always free and generally clean. I've had very mixed experiences stopping at a regular petrol station.

The point was that if you needed an unscheduled toilet stop then you may consider a small charge while you're there. Yes, it might be nearer 70-90p over 20-50p elsewhere but only you can decide if the extra couple of pounds might be a convenience fee worth paying.

If I didn't need to stop for personal reasons, I'd be charging where I planned.

 

[Ediswan]

Hydrogen is the answer for nothing, unless you want to pay 10x fuel costs, which nobody does.

Be wary of absolute statements. Some Scottish islands are interested in hydrogen ferries. They have an excess of wind power, which they cannot export.

 

[trebor79]

Be wary of absolute statements. Some Scottish islands are interested in hydrogen ferries. They have an excess of wind power, which they cannot export.

Ah yes there are odd niche cases like the Scottish island where some idiot built a wind turbine with nowhe5for the electricity to go. So it's being used to make hydrogen that's shipped to a distillery.

I think you are missing the point. I don't want to be a guinea pig - I would rather buy the final product, or almost final, rather than just the work in progress. And we are not there just yet.

I agree, that is my approach. Wait until the product has matured enough. No when enough is is up for debate of course.

What on earth are you both blathering on about? The electric motor has been around for over a century. Lithium batteries are very mature technology.
In fact the very first cars were EVs, using lead acid batteries.

What is the risk as you perceive? There's absolutely no chance I'll ever got back to ICE.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I don't either but I'd generally stop at a services for a toilet break as they're always free and generally clean. I've had very mixed experiences stopping at a regular petrol station.

The point was that if you needed an unscheduled toilet stop then you may consider a small charge while you're there. Yes, it might be nearer 70-90p over 20-50p elsewhere but only you can decide if the extra couple of pounds might be a convenience fee worth paying.

If I didn't need to stop for personal reasons, I'd be charging where I planned.

Adds a whole new meaning to "spending a penny" !.

I agree charging has to be seen as something you leave the car to do while you get on with something else. It is a change in mentality from just going out to fill up to spending longer but killing more than one bird with the stone/time.

I certainly would want finding a place to charge to be easy and for it to be easy to start the charge process - I would not want to be worried about apps and other hoops.

As for cost. I am deeply averse to spending more than I have to. I really wish I would be able to charge from home. It is interesting how I could give and take from the grid. Paying 70-90p for something I could pay 20-50p for would really grate. Even 50p is 250% of 20p !.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Adds a whole new meaning to "spending a penny" !.

I agree charging has to be seen as something you leave the car to do while you get on with something else. It is a change in mentality from just going out to fill up to spending longer but killing more than one bird with the stone/time.

I certainly would want finding a place to charge to be easy and for it to be easy to start the charge process - I would not want to be worried about apps and other hoops.

As for cost. I am deeply averse to spending more than I have to. I really wish I would be able to charge from home. It is interesting how I could give and take from the grid. Paying 70-90p for something I could pay 20-50p for would really grate. Even 50p is 250% of 20p !.

One of the ideal places is a supermarket. They often have chargers, the food/drinks are cheaper than motorway services and there are toilets. Much easier to divert to one now than it was with sat-nav.

McRubbish can also be handy though I've not seen chargers at one yet, I bet there will be in due course.

 

[trebor79]

I certainly would want finding a place to charge to be easy and for it to be easy to start the charge process - I would not want to be worried about apps and other hoops.

It's dead easy. The car navigates you to the charger. You plug it in. If it's a Tesla on a Tesla charger or particular models on certain other chargers it will start charging automatically. Otherwise you tap your card.
Thats it.
You dont have to use any apps.

As for cost. I am deeply averse to spending more than I have to. I really wish I would be able to charge from home. It is interesting how I could give and take from the grid. Paying 70-90p for something I could pay 20-50p for would really grate. Even 50p is 250% of 20p !.

7p per kWh at home, so less than 2p a mile.
Some Tesla superchargers are around 20p per kWh at certain times of day and rarely more than 40p.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Mar 2026 ==

One of the ideal places is a supermarket. They often have chargers, the food/drinks are cheaper than motorway services and there are toilets. Much easier to divert to one now than it was with sat-nav.

McRubbish can also be handy though I've not seen chargers at one yet, I bet there will be in due course.

Quite a lot of them have a couple of Instavolt units. Expensive network though, last resort for me!

 

[jon81uk]

The "fewer moving parts" thing is a bit of a myth to be honest. I know what I'm doing with minor repairs and maintenance, and can do most things myself. For those I can't do myself I have a local garage that I trust with decades of experience. Newer cars (whether EV or ICE) need a laptop and a bank loan to change a defective bulb. (I'm being a bit hyperbolic there, but you get the point).

Many cars whether ICE ort EV don't need bulbs replacing due to the rise of LEDs.

For minor maintanance Teslas are designed that you do it, for example they encourage you to replace the air filters without going to a garage https://service.tesla.com/docs/Publ...UID-DB0A1E3C-926E-498C-A2FD-A27B8421A471.html and there are other tasks you can do yourself https://service.tesla.com/docs/Public/diy/model3/en_us/index.html

Its only really brake fluid that needs a check at a fixed interval by a professional, otherwise its self-service on wipers or no maintenance needed.
Not sure what your bank loan is to cover on EVs? I agree that newer ICE vehicles are locked down in a way that makes servicing harder.

 

[AnonymeggAB12]

Eventually, but I predict that EVs won't outnumber petrol cars until at least the late 2030s (and even that seems slightly ambitious)

 

[Topological]

One of the ideal places is a supermarket. They often have chargers, the food/drinks are cheaper than motorway services and there are toilets. Much easier to divert to one now than it was with sat-nav.

McRubbish can also be handy though I've not seen chargers at one yet, I bet there will be in due course.

The Glynneath one has - I used it while waiting for the home charger to be installed.

A lot of hotels have chargers in the car park if staying away.

If travelling, I would see the sense in convenience rather than over lengthening the journey so fast chargers would the target. The car has a charger map on the screen, so finding a fast one is never too hard. A neat feature of maps is they show the number of chargers available as well as the number of chargers at a location so you can estimate whether the last one will be taken before you get there.

 

[jon81uk]

Or are we going to say I am alright jack. You can go suck it if you cannot get to the out of town shops.
We have stupidly encouraged car culture and I see nothing being done to address that. There are plenty of people who will struggle to own and operate an EV - we risk making them feel alienated. So we need to improve public transport particularly outside the big cities and we need a return to more local shops and shops in town centres where the buses go.

Well there was discussion around addressing being able to get places without a car, but the nutters thought 15 minute cities were a conspiracy to trap them rather than a convenience so you don't need to drive to the doctors/shops/school.