UK switching to electric vehicles discussion

[jon0844]

If BYD and others will be offering a 5 minute charge then range is almost irrelevant. Cost of fast charging will then become almost the sole issue.

I can't imagine myself ever needing a charge that quick. On a long drive, I would have traditionally stopped to take a break and possibly fill up (although I'd usually drive to a nearby supermarket) so there was the time for me doing what I need to do (stretch, make a call/check phone, toilet stop, a bite to eat) and THEN going to the petrol station to fill up.

Now I can let the car 'fill up' while I'm doing the other things, so for me it's quicker than when I had an ICE car.

I really don't need a 5 minute 1mW charge, and I expect those that might will probably be in a position to swap driver to do a far longer trip - although surely one or more vehicle occupants still need to stop occasionally to do something that takes longer than 5 minutes.

 

[johncrossley]

5 minute charge could facilitate smaller batteries as a range of 100 miles or less would then be acceptable, at least to some users.

 

[Noddy]

They're coming back. Okay, not the very smallest cars (A-segment) but you're now seeing a huge number of B-segment vehicles with prices as low as £8-9000 for a pre-registered, minimal mileage, Dacia Spring that's perfect for a lot of people.

There are more A segment (electric) cars coming, namely the Renault Twingo/Nissan Pixo.

Although a modern A segment car looks very different to one from the 70s or 80s, a lot of the growth in cars is for safety purposes which is no bad thing.

 

[Snow1964]

There are more A segment (electric) cars coming, namely the Renault Twingo/Nissan Pixo.

...... and Aion UT, Dacia Hipster, Smart #2,

The other thing is from end of November new models in Europe will conventional engines will need to be euro7 emissions (with existing models euro7 by 29 Nov 2027). This will add to cost and complexity of non-electric vehicles (and of course more that could potentially go wrong)

UK post Brexit does its own rules, but no sane manufacturer are going to build different engines for UK rather than use standard European spec engines.

 

[jon0844]

UK post Brexit does its own rules, but no sane manufacturer are going to build different engines for UK rather than use standard European spec engines.

Tell that to a Brexiteer! That will just be Europe trying to force regulations on us.. Let's build our own cars and paint the union flag on them to show the world we can do what we want!

 

[Peter Sarf]

Tell that to a Brexiteer! That will just be Europe trying to force regulations on us.. Let's build our own cars and paint the union flag on them to show the world we can do what we want!

Yeah !.

Oh freedom but only on our own island, or maybe even just part of it.

I still remember the Brexit promise was that we would be able to compete freely in the Asia Pacific region - you know over where China is (where all those cheap EVs come from).

 

[Roast Veg]

If BYD and others will be offering a 5 minute charge then range is almost irrelevant. Cost of fast charging will then become almost the sole issue.

I highly doubt that this will become widespread, unless vehicles come with MCS.

 

[The Ham]

I highly doubt that this will become widespread, unless vehicles come with MCS.

I suspect, 10 years from now there'll be some premium models which ofter this, however a lot of drivers will have learnt that it's not that useful to them.

Currently it's a useful sales thing to get those who are concerned about time taken to charge to go electric in the first place.

However, as I said the other day, a car able to charge at 50 with a reasonable range (circa 185) is still more than adequate for most people when compared with one which can charge at 200 and with double the range (circa 350).

Obviously, as cars get larger ranges and more frequently get faster charging speeds, then those with more limited specifications may see they have lower prices.

However, just like the claimed speeds for computers, if you're doing the equivalent of writing emails and browsing the Web (10 miles a day and no more than 75 miles for a longer trip, once maybe twice a year) then why not take advantage of the possible lower purchase costs?

 

[johncrossley]

The speed of charging is more important for those who always use public charging but almost irrelevant to those who mostly charge at home.

 

[Mawkie]

I highly doubt that this will become widespread, unless vehicles come with MCS.

BYD seem confident they can roll it out - and on CCS.

BYD Flash Charging UK: 300 chargers at 1,500kW, open to other EVs

BYD has promised 300 megawatt chargers for Britain, yet the first car able to use the full 1,500kW is only due to reach buyers this quarter. Here is where they go, what they should cost and who gains.

www.evcompared.co.uk

The timing is looser than the headline. BYD UK’s question-and-answer release says it will install 300 Flash chargers nationally “within the next 12 months” (BYD UK Media), and Autocar reported that the first UK site would go live “in the coming weeks”. CAR Magazine and Electrifying both reported the target as the end of 2026, as did coverage of BYD’s June UK debut, which said the 300 would go in at Denza stores and other locations.

With less than three months of 2026 left, we treat the end of this year as the optimistic case and the 12-month wording as the more realistic guide. BYD is also aiming for 3,000 Flash sites in Europe and 6,000 outside China (Carscoops).

 

[johncrossley]

BYD seem confident they can roll it out - and on CCS.

BYD Flash Charging UK: 300 chargers at 1,500kW, open to other EVs

BYD has promised 300 megawatt chargers for Britain, yet the first car able to use the full 1,500kW is only due to reach buyers this quarter. Here is where they go, what they should cost and who gains.

www.evcompared.co.uk

Also interesting is that they plan to charge just 50p per kWh.

 

[The Ham]

The speed of charging is more important for those who always use public charging but almost irrelevant to those who mostly charge at home.

As someone who charged entirely away from home for a week and doing significant milage (90 minute journey each way) unless you can't do something else and charge at 50w then even a shortish supermarket visit of 10 minutes at 50w can add 20 miles of usable range (Google suggests 25 to 30 miles) and so doesn't really add much time to your week. Especially if you would already need to allow 5 minutes every few weeks to top up with fuel.

As more people go electric companies are likely to start to look to add charging at work (like parking spaces) is likely to be something they consider more and more.

Even 5 hours using a granny charger at work would add 30 usable miles (again 35 to 45 miles) and so would likely be enough to charge more than many people travel for getting to and from work, maybe even enough to allow you not to charge over a weekend (may also mean Mondays and Fridays were slightly more attractive to people to head into the office).

Whist yes, 100w, 200w and faster would give you more charge in the same time window would be useful, for someone doing 7,280 miles a year that's 140 miles a week, so that's like 24 hours with a granny charger (or 2 or 3 nights of charging or 4 or 5 days at work), 70 minutes at 50w, 35 minutes at 100w and 18 minutes at 200w.

Clearly the first two could be a bit annoying, but once you get to over 100w and being able to pair it with your weekly shop or some other activity you're not needing much if any other charging time.

Even 50w isn't impossible depending on what you do, if you go to the cinema once a fortnight, that's probably enough charge to add a few 10 minute charges on top of that to keep you going between visits.

 

[Vexed]

Also interesting is that they plan to charge just 50p per kWh.

So it's just going to be full of slower charging cars because it's cheaper.

 

[johncrossley]

So it's just going to be full of slower charging cars because it's cheaper.

Unless it forces the competition to cut their prices.

 

[Snow1964]

ZapMap has released some data (based on SMMT new car sales and DVLA data)

2022 was 267,203 electric cars registered
2023 was 314,684
2024 was 381,970
2025 was 473,348
2026 (9 months to 30 Sept) 454,947

As at 30 September 2026 there are over 2,280,000 electric cars in UK

How many EVs are there in the UK - EV market statistics 2024 - Zapmap

Stay updated with the latest UK electric vehicle market growth. Track monthly BEV, PHEV and electric van registrations, market share trends and total EVs on the road with Zapmap.

www.zapmap.com

This suggests will be about 2.4m electric cars in UK by end of 2026

 

[Ken X]

As more people go electric companies are likely to start to look to add charging at work (like parking spaces) is likely to be something they consider more and more.

This is exactly what my brother has done. He's a director of a small company and has installed five charging bays at his company's site.

There are only twelve employees at this location so they can all charge every day and leave on a Friday fully charged which usually carries them over to the Monday.

 

[Roast Veg]

BYD seem confident they can roll it out - and on CCS.

It will need buy in from other OEMs in order to succeed, otherwise it's just a novelty. As it stands, no European, Japanese, Korean, or North American manufacturer seems likely to follow BYD.

 

[jon0844]

In London on a visit last week (London Bridge area) it felt like about 60-70% of the cars I saw were electric. Out of the remaining 30-40% there would likely have been quite a few hybrids. I didn't really check commercial vehicles, but I have seen a lot of Kia PV5s and they seem to stand out a bit like a Renault 5.

Now Citroen has announced the 2CV, which is a much-needed A-segment car coming some time next year, I think it's great we're getting some cars that instantly jump out and don't even need you to look at the plate to identify an EV. Whether the 2CV was as well loved in the UK as it was in France and elsewhere remains to be seen, but electric car platforms allow for car makers almost anything they want.

I'm particularly interested in seeing what Ford does with the Fiesta. Will it be a new design to mimic the Renault 5 shape or will it have a styling that goes back to the earlier Fiestas of the 80s and 90s? They have a great opportunity to join in with a growing trend for nostalgia, which doesn't just limit sales to those that remember the originals but also find an entirely new audience.

Rather than imposing limits on Chinese EVs, European car makers can take advantage of the heritages they've built up over decades.

 

[Mawkie]

As someone who charged entirely away from home for a week and doing significant milage (90 minute journey each way) unless you can't do something else and charge at 50w then even a shortish supermarket visit of 10 minutes at 50w can add 20 miles of usable range (Google suggests 25 to 30 miles) and so doesn't really add much time to your week. Especially if you would already need to allow 5 minutes every few weeks to top up with fuel.

As more people go electric companies are likely to start to look to add charging at work (like parking spaces) is likely to be something they consider more and more.

Even 5 hours using a granny charger at work would add 30 usable miles (again 35 to 45 miles) and so would likely be enough to charge more than many people travel for getting to and from work, maybe even enough to allow you not to charge over a weekend (may also mean Mondays and Fridays were slightly more attractive to people to head into the office).

Whist yes, 100w, 200w and faster would give you more charge in the same time window would be useful, for someone doing 7,280 miles a year that's 140 miles a week, so that's like 24 hours with a granny charger (or 2 or 3 nights of charging or 4 or 5 days at work), 70 minutes at 50w, 35 minutes at 100w and 18 minutes at 200w.

Clearly the first two could be a bit annoying, but once you get to over 100w and being able to pair it with your weekly shop or some other activity you're not needing much if any other charging time.

Even 50w isn't impossible depending on what you do, if you go to the cinema once a fortnight, that's probably enough charge to add a few 10 minute charges on top of that to keep you going between visits.

This was a tough read until I realised you meant kW every time you said W.

Unless it forces the competition to cut their prices.

No bad thing.

There are only twelve employees at this location so they can all charge every day and leave on a Friday fully charged which usually carries them over to the Monday.

I charge once a fortnight, so those employees must be doing some mileage to need charging again on Monday after a full charge on Friday.

It will need buy in from other OEMs in order to succeed, otherwise it's just a novelty. As it stands, no European, Japanese, Korean, or North American manufacturer seems likely to follow BYD.

Tesla created a huge network of proprietary chargers back in the day - it wasn't until much later they started allowing other marques to use them.

As I understand it, the only vehicles that can accept the Flash charging speeds are BYD, but the CCS standard does mean any vehicle can charge there at lower speeds. I don't know enough about the chemistry of the BYD batteries and management systems to comment on whether they are unique enough to be exclusive to BYD moving forward or whether other manufacturers can put a bigger inverter and 1000V architecture and join the megawatt charging club. I suspect it is a "ground up" full system, rather than a single improved component. Interesting times ahead for sure.