Do New Plans Mean Cheaper Electric Car Charging?

Ahead of the government scheme to ban diesel and petrol motors in 2040, Ofgem have said that motorists should be encouraged to top up when the cost of electricity is cheaper to reduce the need for additional costly power stations and more grid capacity.

According to the electricity regulator, motorists in Britain should recharge the battery of their electric cars only when plenty of renewable energy is being produced or in off-peak periods. This way, the number of additional power plants does not need to increase significantly.

Ofgem completed an analysis of the data collected from their research and found that around 60% more electric vehicles could be charged if flexible charging were to be used, in comparison with the current inflexible charging.

Electric Vehicle Usage

Sales of vehicles with alternative fuel types, such as hybrids and fully electric vehicles increased by 11% from last year in the first three months of 2018 alone.

Although, following their latest study to monitor the growth of electric car usage in the UK, motoring research charity, the RAC Foundation found that many car-buyers are put off from purchasing these vehicles because of an insufficient number of charging points locally available to them.

The report warned that a lack of access to reliable and straightforward charging facilities may limit mass market interest in environmentally-friendly vehicles.

In response to concerns such as these, the recent British Government strategy, ‘Road to Zero’, was published towards the end of this month and featured a significant emphasis on basic charging facilities, including the installation of thousands of additional charging points for electric vehicles around the UK.

Benefits for Consumers

Jonathan Brearley, an executive director at Ofgem, said, “Our reforms will help more users charge their electric vehicles and save them money.

“The proposals we have announced today will also harness the benefits of electric vehicles and other new technologies to help manage the energy system and keep costs down for all consumers.”

Brearley went on to say that Ofgem will make sure the energy system is fit and ready for the cleaner future and that it is inexpensive for consumers.

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