FOUR MYTHS ABOUT EV OWNERSHIP

Research undertaken by Ipsos Mori has identified a number of misunderstandings surrounding EV ownership and charging at home, says smart charging company Ohme. With sales of new EVs up 48.8 per cent so far in 2022, Ohme clarifies a number of popular myths to do with running an EV.

The top four myths about EV ownership:

Myth: The installation of an EV charger is too expensive
Truth: Some leasing and hire companies provide a bundled package that include the cost of a new charger with a new EV.

Myth: The installation of an EV charger is too complicated
Truth: In the majority of cases, fitting a charger to your home is a fast and simple process. The most common reasons for it taking slightly longer can include if your parking space is not directly next to your home, if it’s a long distance from the fuseboard to the charger or your existing electrical supply needs upgrading.

Myth: Charging at home will rely more on fossil fuels than at public chargers
Truth: Smart chargers usually offer drivers the option to charge their cars when renewable energy generation on the National Grid is at its highest. It obviously also depends on your choice of energy supplier. Octopus Energy for instance, has electricity tariffs that are 100 per cent green.

Myth: Smart charging is unnecessary, I’ll get a cheaper charging rate overnight for my EV automatically no matter what tariff I’m on.
Truth: Charging your EV at home will almost always be cheaper than charging it at a public charger, but to maximise those savings you should make sure that you’re on a special EV tariff – talk to your supplier. These EV-specific tariffs will enable you to get the cheapest possible rates by charging your electric vehicle overnight and reducing your running costs considerably.