UNDERSTANDING CHARGING OPTIONS AND COSTS
As we come to the end of another year, with a new virus ‘variant of concern’ causing headlines there still remains some optimism for an end to the worst consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For now, we can reflect on how the repercussions of COVID still prevail across urban mobility, as mobility providers continue to pick up the pieces – recover and adapt to changes…
October saw London’s major expansion for the ULEZ now covering a radius of over 140 miles between the north and south circular roads and through 2022 we will see many more CAZ’s going live to add to those already implemented across the UK.
Faced with daily penalty charges for entering CAZ’s with non-compliant vehicles, and a looming ban on new fossil fuel car sales in 2030 – Many more cab operators will be deliberating about when to switch to EVs – especially as Q4 saw panic-buying-induced fuel shortages together with record pump prices.
RANGE ANXIETY:
There was some irony in the fuel shortage as ICE vehicle owners desperate for fuel, experienced a form of ‘range anxiety’ –- an experience normally associated with EV drivers experiencing limited battery range and a lack of available places to charge. ICE drivers looking for alternatives to fossil fuel – created a huge 1,500% spike in online searches for electric cars…
This is a trend that will continue, as more and more people become conscious of EV’s viability and total cost of ownership (TCO) benefits. Almost every major manufacturer has committed to electrifying their vehicle portfolio, with their electric car ranges and capabilities increasing exponentially as new more affordable models come to market.
EV CHARGING: AT HOME / AT WORK / IN PUBLIC
The suitability of electric vehicles for daily public transportation is only one part of the equation of course, with charging and infrastructure high on the list of challenges facing professional drivers who will need to top up their batteries before, and/or during each shift.
Some fleets and drivers will be more dependent on workplace or public chargers out of the home, and this creates an inequality in running costs…let’s take some hypothetical examples:
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Diesel Comparison: To start with let’s briefly get the existing fossil-fuel costs covered to enable ballpark EV comparisons to follow. Filling an existing diesel car capable of 50mpg to cover a similar mileage @£1.50 per litre for diesel would be c.£25. Averaging 220 miles a day 6 days a week over 48 weeks with fuel @ £150 per week or £7,200 per year.
Charging at Home: How Does this Work in Practice? And What Does it Cost? One of the advantages of EV ownership is the ability to charge while parked – This is especially beneficial when parked at home and overnight.
Time-Of-Use (TOU) energy tariffs are designed for EV owners to charge up at low peak times of energy demand with really low prices of c.£0.05p per kWh – The low peak period is typically between 12-30am to 5am.
This is a great opportunity to minimise running costs, especially for most commuters and business drivers as the 4–5-hour low tariff window simply means topping up around 100 miles of range (using a 7kW supply and charger) – and costing c.£1.50 – most won’t even need to do this every night… Maybe just once a week… No wonder most everyday drivers would never think of going back to ICE… and that’s before factoring in zero road tax, no CAZ charges and minimal maintenance costs.
Most cab drivers on the other hand, will need to charge beyond this cheap tariff window and replicate this every night – and doubling this time might be more reasonable to expect – as most will cover more than 200 miles in a day.
Adding a peak time tariff of £0.20p per kWh - (Using a fast home smart charger charging at 7kWh) for an additional 41
⁄2 hours would mean adding an additional £6.30 to the
low peak TOU tariff of £1.50 to have over 200 miles range available for the next day…
That’s still only around £7.80 per day for an EV Cab capable of over 200 miles electric range, by charging at home and combining a low-rate time-of-use (TOU) tariff – together with an equal amount of peak time electricity to fulfill most daily needs of over 200 miles.
What if You Have No Private Home Parking? Of course this is all well and good if you have private off- road parking and charging available – but if not – things are not quite so straightforward in practice.
DECEMBER 2021
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