Electric car drivers face delays of up to 120 hours when trying to charge their vehicles this summer with queues expected to be “greater than ever before”.
According to experts, as the six-week holiday period commences, hotspots like Cornwall, Devon and North Wales are expected to be busier than usual.
New research by ATS Euromaster found that Cornwall could see long queuing times for electric car drivers this summer in the worst-case scenario.
Other popular areas in the Cotswolds, Blackpool and the Lake District could have potential queue times of up to 120 hours.
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Drivers can save money by charging at home
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Simon Waye, technical support engineer at ATS Euromaster, explained that it’s important for drivers to be aware of the best places to visit and the nearest charging points to “make the most of their time off”.
Northumberland has potential queue times of up to 15 hours, while Whitby has 17 hours’ worth of delays and Blackpool could see delays of 83 hours in the worst-case scenario.
To help roughly six million drivers who will be setting off this summer avoid getting stuck in queues, he recommended they charge their vehicles before their trips.
The warning comes after at least 143,000 drivers who rely on public charging in the UK, spend between £92 and £138 more each month than they would with off-peak charging at home
Cord co-founder Paul Tomlinson warned that drivers are waiting around at public charging stations and spending a cumulative £13.2m more than they need to, every month.
He said: “Obviously a big issue here is the ten million homes across the UK without any off-street parking, which makes installing a home charger trickier – but not impossible.”
Zapmap data detailed how 77,000 EV drivers still rely on the three-pin plug that comes with an EV allowing them to charge their car at home, but only at an “excruciatingly” slow speed.
Meanwhile, Ben Boutcher-West, chief digital officer at Connected Kerb, explained that public smart charging is the “catalyst” to creating a fairer, greener, and cheaper charging network.
He added: “We know that just under two-thirds of people in the UK don’t have access to a home charger, which is why we’re committed to levelling the playing field between those who can access smart charging and those who can’t.”
Meanwhile, AA data found that EV owners who charge off-peak outside their homes can save 3.3p per mile.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, stated that the drop in off-peak slow charging prices is “excellent news” for EV drivers.
He detailed how despite 40 per cent of households with a driveway or parking space, “keeping residential charging prices low is vital to help prospective EV owners make the switch”.
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Roughly six million cars will hit the road this summer
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Zapmap revealed how there are 64,775 public charging devices across the UK placed at 33,829 different locations.
