EV drivers looking for improved confidence in public Electric Vehicle charging

The Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) England has shared the results of their recent survey which asked electric vehicle drivers to share their views and experiences with public chargepoints. The survey was carried out in response to the UK Government’s consultation on the ‘Consumer Experience at Public Electric Vehicle Chargepoints’.

Over 1,000 drivers took part in the survey in England, which highlighted widespread support for the rollout of contactless credit and debit card payments as well as being able to use one charge card (RFID card) or app across multiple charging network operators, and better reliability. Also highlighted was the importance of the public charging network to those with off-street parking, with 92% of electric vehicle drivers requiring use of the public charging network at least once a month.

Gill Nowell, media spokesperson and a Director at EVA England commented:

“There are many benefits of making the electric switch, from the pleasure of driving to improving local air quality. With automotive manufacturers, fleets and businesses all now choosing to go electric, we need to improve the consumer experience at public chargepoints to take EV adoption mainstream.

“Based on the outputs of this survey, paving the road for the mass adoption of EVs looks like contactless card payments, roaming, consistent chargepoint reliability, simplified billing, and easy access to information about what chargers are where.

“We recognise that the pace of chargepoint deployment is increasing and that the infrastructure going in the ground today is greatly improved from that which was being installed even five years ago. However, we encourage Government to intervene now in order to ensure that all charging infrastructure is reliable, safe and user-friendly, across all driver groups.”

EAV launch ‘2Charge’ Electric ultra-lightweight commercial vehicle

Electric Assisted Vehicles (EAV) Limited, the Oxfordshire-based micro-mobility manufacturer, have launched the EAV2Charge, a new ultra-lightweight commercial vehicle based on EAV’s successful EAV2Cubed model.

EAV is currently supporting supermarket deliveries by Asda and Ocado as well as supplying multiple international logistics companies such as DPD and Zedify.

The company’s latest design is aimed at the fast-growing area of e-scooter share companies that operate public hire schemes as part of the UK Department for Transport’s managed-trials. Designed jointly with Ford’s micromobility unit, the new vehicle will allow operators to achieve a more sustainable approach to their operations, such as being able to deploy e-scooters when they need to be moved to meet local consumer demand or replacing batteries for example. Benefits will be brought to towns and cities across the country, helping to ease traffic flows and improve cleaner air, thereby helping to reduce pollution.

The first vehicles that are currently in production are due to be delivered to Clacton-on-Sea to support the trial managed by Spin starting in the summer.

Adam Barmby, CEO and Founder of EAV said:

“EAV is busy developing a completely new range of future vehicles to further enhance the enormous change for the better we’re already all experiencing in our towns and cities. Quieter, lighter, completely emissions free and aesthetically pleasing – we’re all discovering a new range of vehicles which are far less threatening and intrusive than we’re used to. The effect of that will be a huge reduction in road casualties as well as cleaner air and a much less stressful experience within the urban environment with absolutely no reduction in commercial efficiency. It’s simply a better future.”

Honda debuts e:PROGRESS in the UK

Honda will be debuting its domestic intelligent charging service ‘e:PROGRESS’ in the UK, its first energy management service to be launched in the region. This is the most comprehensive and innovative home charging solution from an automotive manufacturer in Europe.

A connected charger and advanced intelligent software developed by smart charging and aggregation specialist, Moixa, lies at the heart of e:PROGRESS. The way it works is that the software sets a charging schedule to ensure the car is always adequately charged when it’s needed, based on the requirements of the owner, while optimising the use of low-price clean energy, which can be changed by the owner via the app.

The electricity is provided by Octopus Energy, with its UK-first dynamic tariff, Agile Octopus, which is a combined tariff for both the EV and home, allowing customers access to lower prices during renewable-heavy, off-peak periods. The Moixa software selects the most cost-effective times to charge the vehicle based on the tariff, which changes price as often as every 30 minutes in response to fluctuations in wholesale energy prices. It is estimate that this will give customers an annual saving in charging costs of up to £475 per year compared to the standard flat tariff. Octopus Energy also guarantees that 100% of its electricity comes from renewable sources.

e:PROGRESS is available in the UK now exclusively for Honda e customers with services under the e:PROGRESS brand to follow in Germany. Other European countries are currently under consideration. For further information on e:PROGRESS please visit: www.honda-eprogress.co.uk