Latest news with #EVowners
ABC News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- ABC News
WA's RAC electric-highway charging project ends despite rise in EVs
When West Australian car insurer RAC first launched its "electric highway" installing electric vehicle chargers in WA's south-west, it was the first network of its kind in Australia and opened regional travel to EV owners for the first time. Not that there were many of them. RAC general manager of external relations Will Golsby said there were about 80 electric cars in the state in 2015, when the highway first opened. In surveys the RAC conducted 10 years ago, people were interested in EVs, but the number one concern was "range anxiety", the fear that the vehicles would be unusable outside of Perth because there was nowhere to charge them. "The original intent of the electric highways was really to open Western Australia up and enable people from Perth to travel through the south-west and allow our regional members with electric vehicles to travel to Perth," Mr Golsby told Gary Adshead on ABC Radio Perth. In 10 years, the number of fully electric vehicles in WA has grown to about 27,000, and there are about 150 charging stations across the state. The state government has spent more than $43 million on subsidies to help people buy electric vehicles and committed $21 million to extending the charging network. Mr Golsby said that, having demonstrated that owning an electric vehicle was a viable option in WA, the RAC had decided to move on, withdrawing from its involvement in the electric highway. "We wanted to open up the state to EVs," he said. "We believe there's been significant growth. We hope there will be more growth in electric vehicles." For Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) president Chris Jones, it is the end of an era in the evolution of electric transport in WA. It was Dr Jones, along with two others, who first pitched the idea of building the charging network to the RAC 10 years ago. "It started because I was unemployed and looking for something to do. I wrote a 10-page document on how you would build charging in the south-west," Dr Jones said. "We found the ideal spots and what the layout would look like, and we pitched it to anyone that would listen." Many potential funders and government agencies said no, but the RAC took the idea seriously. "They came back and said: 'You know what, this is absolutely something we should be supporting', and they did," Dr Jones said. Dr Jones said he was not surprised the highway project had now come to an end. The RAC purchased and installed electric-highway charging stations, but they were then owned and managed by local governments. "Councils weren't prepared for what it took to look after this sort of equipment," Dr Jones said. "You have to learn new skills, get familiar with new technology. You don't make much money from it." Some of those stations will continue to operate on the Chargefox network, while others will close down. In the popular south-west holiday spots of Busselton and Dunsborough, the council has decided not to continue running the charging stations. City of Busselton Mayor Phill Cronin acknowledged the charging station in Dunsborough was popular. "I don't think there's one time I've walked past and they're not being utilised," Cr Cronin said. However, he said the council had decided the charging station was not in a great location and the technology was becoming outdated. "It's just not something we feel that we should be taking on," he said, adding that a local shopping centre in Dunsborough had installed four fast charging stations in its car park, providing drivers with other options. In the case of the Busselton charging station, the council is inviting expressions of interest from businesses who would like to take over the charger. While it is the end of an era for electric driving in WA, the RAC said it had achieved what it set out to do. "It was Australia's first. Other states now claim to have the bigger, larger, longer, wider highways, but certainly this was Australia's first," Mr Golsby said. For AEVA, it was a major boost to its lobbying efforts in WA. "Buoyed by [the electric highway], we put the effort into lobbying the WA government into building a decent charging network around the state," Dr Jones said. "I think the next effort we will need to see in public charging will be workplace charging."
The Independent
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Energy price cap scrap would save households hundreds, analysis finds
Households could be saving £200 a year with 'fairer' energy pricing, experts say, as they call for the Ofgem price cap to be phased out. A flexible system of energy pricing would reduce the price of electricity by 4p/kWh over the next 15 years, a new report from The Resolution Foundation finds. A key measure under this system would include 'locational pricing', where households pay for energy according to costs in their area. This could reduce system costs by £3.7 billion a year, the report says, equivalent to £40 per household. The most savings could be made from introducing more time-of-use tariffs, where households can pay cheaper energy rates depending on the time of day it is used. This would save an average of £160 per household by 2040 according to the report. This measure would particularly benefit electric vehicle (EV) owners, researchers say, with an average £120 saving a year to be had compared to the price cap. This is because most EV owners will charge their vehicles overnight, when electricity would be cheaper. EVs are rising in popularity in the UK, accounting for 19 per cent of all car sales in 2024. This is expected to increase quickly in the coming years as a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars comes into force in 2030. This demand is so great that EVs, alongside electric heating, are set to be the main drivers behind a 40 per cent increase in residential electricity use by 2035. But this flexible electricity model could also come with higher price risks for households, as they would be more directly subject to volatility in the electricity market. A report for Octopus Energy by FTI in February investigated how locational – or zonal – pricing could impact household energy costs across the country. Their analysis found that average zonal wholesale prices in the north are lower than in the south, with those in London facing bills nearly seven times higher than those in Scotland if bills were mapped directly to zone-based wholesale costs. Zachary Leather, Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: 'Britain's net zero transition – in terms of both energy production and energy consumption – should be a cost of living win for consumers, but it will put more pressure on the electricity grid and could create more price volatility. 'Switching to flexible pricing for consumers could address these risks and reduce bills for everyone in the process.'
Telegraph
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Punish electric car owners who charge at peak times, Miliband urged
Electric car owners should pay higher electricity bills for charging their cars at peak times, the Resolution Foundation has said. The think tank said electric vehicle (EVs) owners should be charged more for plugging in their cars in the evenings to encourage them to charge overnight instead. Delivering electricity to households and businesses at peak times, especially between 4.30pm and 8pm, is around twice as expensive as at other times of the day. Despite this, electricity costs the same regardless of when it is used, with the extra cost of delivery spread across the day. The Resolution Foundation warned that the mass adoption of EVs could make this system untenable as a surge in people topping up their cars when they get home from work would lead to a huge spike in delivery costs that would make bills far higher for everyone. 'As EV adoption grows, owners who don't shift their significant energy usage will push up peak demand, imposing greater costs on the system and inflating bills for everyone else,' the think tank said. It is calling for the Government to axe the energy price cap for EV owners who use too much electricity and instead introduce variable prices. This would in effect mean they would pay higher prices for charging in the evening, encouraging drivers to charge their vehicles late at night instead. 'To ensure households with EVs and other technologies that can use electricity in off-peak times do so, the Government should give a strong nudge to consumers by setting a usage limit above which Ofgem's current fixed-tariff price cap would not apply and shifting these households on to variable tariffs instead,' the Foundation said. Zachary Leather, author of the report, said: 'We're transitioning to a different kind of energy system, one where we need demand to respond a bit more to the supply [of energy]. 'Wind and solar and other kinds of renewables are variable, rather than being able to be turned off and turned on at will, so that means that we need more flexibility in the system.' He said EV owners who charged only during off-peak hours would not only lower average bills for the country as a whole but also save money themselves. The typical EV owner would be able to save £120 annually by charging overnight, the Foundation estimated. 'All of these people with lots of really high energy use are the kinds of households that are likely to be able to contribute to cheaper bills by flexing that energy use,' Mr Leather said. Zonal pricing The call for EV drivers to be punished for charging their cars at peak times through higher bills is part of a wider review of potential changes to the electricity market, including shifting to so-called 'zonal' pricing. This would see Britain's energy market broken up into different regions, with electricity prices in each areas based on local supply and demand. Zonal pricing already exists in several countries, including Australia, Italy and Sweden. Adopting it in Britain, however, could prove controversial as it poses higher bills for households and business in the South of England, where demand is greatest. Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, is considering whether to adopt a zonal system as part of the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements. An announcement is expected shortly. The Resolution Foundation said an energy system which varied prices by region and time of the day would offer households savings of £200 a year, on average. However, families who cannot avoid using higher amounts of energy in the evening risk being punished by the reforms, the think tank warned. Mr Leather said: 'The Government should encourage households with flexible but high-energy use technologies like Electric Vehicles to shift their electricity usage out of the peak-time early evening period, so as to reduce both theirs and others' energy bills. 'But it must also act to avoid the reforms penalising low-income households with unavoidable and inflexible electricity needs.' A spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: 'We are working closely with industry to build a more flexible energy system, as part of our mission to deliver clean power by 2030. 'Off-peak tariffs already offer savings of around 75pc for electric vehicle owners when they charge overnight, in a strong incentive to make the most of cheap off-peak power.'
The Independent
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Changing one thing about public chargers would make half of drivers switch to an EV sooner
New research has shown that half of drivers would switch to an electric car sooner if the VAT on public charging matched that of home charging. A pain point for many EV owners and a barrier to entry for non-EV drivers, public charging points are currently taxed at 20 per cent compared to 5 per cent when charging at home. Younger drivers, those living in flats or rental properties, and those without access to off-street parking are particularly impacted by the disparity in VAT charging rates. The research by EV charging company Gridserve found that 84 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds and 76 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds say they'd be more inclined to switch to an electric car under a more even tax structure. In cities where off-street parking is less available, drivers are especially keen to see a change in the VAT rate. Three in four Londoners say they'd switch to an EV sooner compared to the national average of almost half. Two in five drivers nationally called the disparity in VAT charging rates unfair. EV running costs are typically cheaper than combustion cars, but the cost of using public charging points is significantly higher than charging at home, where overnight energy tariffs and reduced VAT can see prices fall as low as 7p per kWh. Drivers with at-home charging save around £1,000 per year compared to those without home charging, and around £800 compared to typical internal combustion engine drivers. Gridserve CEO Daniel Kunkel said: 'Removing VAT from public charging would be a significant move towards levelling the playing field and making EV ownership easier for everyone, no matter where they live. The current disparity between the 20 per cent VAT on public EV charging and the 5 per cent on home charging puts a disproportionate financial burden on those without home charging facilities, which could affect more lower-income households. 'Ahead of the MPs debate on VAT rates set to take place on Friday, we urge the government to take this opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to fairness and climate action by supporting this bill and ensuring public charging is not only reliable and widespread but also equitable for all.'
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Mistakes To Avoid When Installing An EV Charging Station In Your Garage
Electric vehicle sales have experienced years of robust growth, and this trend is expected to continue. According to the International Energy Agency, electric vehicle sales increased by more than 40% in 2023 compared to 2022 in the United States. And if you're an electric vehicle owner, a home EV charging station is essential. Now, although charging your vehicle at home offers several benefits, there are some mistakes you must avoid when you install a home EV charging station in your garage. The mistakes include amateur installations, forgetting to access your home's electrical system, and buying the wrong type of charger. While the cost of installing an EV charger in your home can be a bit pricey, that amount will likely increase if you have any of these issues. Ensuring that you avoid them will allow you to enjoy the benefits of your home charging station. For many electric vehicle owners, the convenience of having a charging station at home for their electric vehicle is a major advantage. The ability to charge the car while cooking dinner and relaxing in the evening saves time and money. In addition, it is better for your car's battery. The fast chargers found in public charging stations can degrade your battery and shorten its life when used too frequently. A home EV charger allows you to minimize the use of these public charging stations. Read more: The Best Ways To Heat Your Garage Without An Electric Space Heater Choosing the wrong type of EV charging station for your vehicle and your charging needs is a common mistake. The most frequently used home EV chargers are Level 1 and Level 2 charging stations. The Level 1 charger usually comes with your vehicle and plugs into a typical 110V outlet. However, these chargers are extremely slow, taking as long as 24 hours to fully charge the vehicle. Level 2 chargers are faster but require a dedicated 220V circuit. Neglecting to evaluate your home electrical system is another common mistake people make when installing an EV charger. Before buying an electric car, update your garage and home to ensure your electrical infrastructure has the capacity needed to handle the power demand of an EV charger. Older homes were designed when homes had less demand for electricity, so an upgrade may be needed. A potentially dangerous mistake is not hiring a professional for your EV charging station installation. This is particularly true when you need an electrical service upgrade. A licensed electrician has the training and knowledge of electrical systems, EV charger installation, and local building and electrical codes to handle all aspects of the job, from evaluating the electrical infrastructure to installing the EV charger. The best way to avoid mistakes when you install an EV charging station in the garage is to work with an experienced, trained professional electrician. A licensed contractor certified in electric vehicle infrastructure installation will ensure that your charging station is properly installed and in compliance with all current electrical codes and regulations. Another way you can avoid costly mistakes when installing an EV charging station is to think ahead and plan for the future. Buying a charger that works with a specific vehicle brand may not meet your long-term needs. Selecting a charger with universal compatibility ensures that it will work with any other type of electric vehicle you may buy in the future. Taking the time to research your options and having your electrical system evaluated by a professional will also help you get informed on the total cost of EV charger installation. When you consider how much it costs to charge an electric car at a public charging station, you will find that installing an EV charger at home is worth the investment in the long run. Enjoyed this article? Get expert home tips, DIY guides, and design inspiration by signing up to the House Digest newsletter! Read the original article on House Digest.
