74% of EV users admit they have charged dangerously due to absence of local public charging points
A lack of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is forcing owners to charge dangerously, a leading electrical safety charity is warning.
Consumer protection charity Electrical Safety First is calling on the Government to commit to improving the infrastructure of public charging points as latest findings show the growth rate of licensed plug-in vehicles is drastically out-pacing the number of charging points available to EV owners. Furthermore, analysis into the effects of this scarcity suggests that it’s pushing consumers into charging their cars via unsafe methods.
New analysis by the charity of data from the Department for Transport and Zap-Map has revealed the growth rate of licensed plug in vehicles to be almost six times faster over the last five years than that of public charging point locations in the UK.[1]
|
Electric Vehicles vs Public Charging Locations in the UK |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
5-year growth |
|
Plug in Vehicles (EV) |
25,983 |
52,227 |
87,700 |
132,138 |
186,386 |
|
|
Y-o-Y EV growth |
119% |
101% |
68% |
51% |
41% |
617% |
|
Charging Locations (CL) |
3251 |
4087 |
4200 |
4955 |
6669 |
|
|
Y-o-Y CL growth |
27% |
26% |
3% |
18% |
35% |
105% |
The charity surveyed 1,500 electric vehicle owners, including both all electric and hybrids, revealing a shocking 74% believe that a lack of public charging points near their home has led them to use domestic multi-socket extension leads, not suitable for outdoor use, to charge from the mains in their home.[2] This is despite almost 9 out of 10 respondents admitting they’re aware these should not be used outside.[3] Over half of EV users who charge with the aid of an extension lead, meanwhile, have left cables running to their vehicle when it’s been raining.[4]
The worrying research also found responses from those surveyed show that 75% of those who charge using a domestic extension lead even admit to ‘daisy-chaining’ extension leads to reach their vehicle; a method whereby multiple extension leads are plugged into one another to cover a longer distance.[5] Daisy-chaining is advised against in all circumstances due to the heightened risk of electric shock and even fire that it brings about.
A regional breakdown of the data, meanwhile, reveals something of a postcode lottery across the United Kingdom when it comes to accessibility of charging points – providing some substance to the opinion of more than 1 in 3 EV owners who said that in their opinion, the current accessibility of charging points in their area is ‘not adequate at all’.[6]
The number of charging point locations ranges from 147 per 100km2 in London (and 2.6 per 10,000 residents) to 1.55 per 100km2 (1.03 per 10,000 residents) in Wales. Not only does this inconvenience EV users who live in areas with few charging points but also creates problems for those driving to these areas for business or to visit friends or family.[7]
The Charity’s consumer research suggests that nearly three quarters of respondents, when taking long journeys away from home or work, have been forced to use extension leads from a domestic mains socket to charge their vehicle at their destination – while 45% have had to do this on more than one occasion.[8]
With the Government’s aim for all cars to be effectively zero emission by 2040, Electrical Safety First believes public infrastructure for electric vehicles must be adequate to cater to the needs of owners in order to avoid dangerous charging habits in the home. EV users, meanwhile, need to be well-informed on how to charge their vehicles safely, and should refer to the charity’s new Glovebox Guide by visiting www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/electricvehicles for more information.
Martyn Allen, Technical Director at Electrical Safety First, commented: “Our research shows a direct link between a lack of electric vehicle infrastructure and vehicle owners charging dangerously. A modern Britain also needs to be a safe one and Electrical Safety First is urging the government and local authorities to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to support the rapid increase in numbers of electric vehicles on our roads.
With regards to consumers, we warn EV users against giving in to temptation to use standard domestic extension leads to charge their vehicles outside, and never to ‘daisy-chain’ them together. We recommend taking advantage of the Government’s grant scheme which will contribute towards the cost of a specially designed home charging point. This is safer than charging from the mains, using a standard extension lead. For more detailed information on how to charge and use your EV safely, the Glovebox Guide available on the Electrical Safety First website is a great place to start.”
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Joshua Drew T: 07864 009875 E: joshua.drew@electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk
Tom Davies T : 07866 702069 E : tom.davies@electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk
Editors’ Notes
- Electrical Safety First is a UK Charity dedicated to reducing and preventing damage, injuries and death caused by electricity. More information can be found at electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk
- All consumer research, unless otherwise stated, was undertaken from 01 to 16 January 2019 by Censuswide with a sample of 1,500 adults who own a plug-in vehicle (whether hybrid or all-electric) across the United Kingdom.
- Data from the Department for Transport on the number of licensed plug-in vehicles in the UK is accurate as of Q4 2018, to view this dataset click here , while historical data from Zap-Map was given for each individual year as a whole. Zap-Map endeavours to add all publically available charge points in the UK to their data, however it is inevitable that some do not make it to them through their data channels; they estimate that over 95% of all publicly available charge points in the UK are on Zap-Map.
Electrical Safety First’s advice for EV owners:
- Never use a domestic multi socket extension lead when charging your electric vehicle. If you do need to use an extension lead only ever use one that is suitable for outdoor use such as a reel cable.
- Never ‘daisy-chain’ extension leads. The method of plugging more than one extension lead into another in order to reach a greater distance increases the risk of an electrical fire as well as electric shock.
- Always buy your charging cable from a reputable retailer or directly from the manufacturer who will put such products through rigorous tests to ensure they meet UK safety standards.
- Ensure you frequently check your charging cable for wear and tear and replace it if any damage is evident.
- If you are charging from a 13A mains socket in your home, ensure the wiring in your property has been checked prior to doing so. Old wiring may not be able to cope with the demand from charging your vehicle overnight and risk a fire in your property.
- The safest and most convenient way to charge your vehicle at home is through a dedicated wallbox charging point. Ensure this is installed by a qualified, registered and competent electrician only. Use our ‘find an electrician’ page to locate one near you.
- Take advantage of the on-going Government schemes aimed at relieving consumers of some of the cost linked to the installation of a home charging point.
[1]Data obtained from the Department for Transport on plug-in cars, LGVs and quadricycles licensed in the United Kingdom, accurate as of Q4 2018 with the value for each year since 2014 taken from of Q4 each respective year (historical data is given quarterly). Charging point data was obtained from Zap-Map listing the number of public charging locations in the UK after each year since 2014 (historical data is given yearly). Growth rate comparison is given across the period of 2014-2018, with charging locations going up by 109% while licensed electric vehicles went up by 609% as demonstrated by the table below.
[2] Consumer research commissioned by Electrical Safety First and conducted by Censuswide surveying 1,500 owners of plug-in vehicles, whether all-electric or hybrid, in the UK, nationally representative of all UK EV owners, found that 73.7% of respondents excluding those who charge exclusively using public charging points answered ‘yes, all the time’ or ‘yes, sometimes’ to the question ‘have you ever used a domestic multi-socket extension lead outside to charge your vehicle from the mains of a residential property (whether your own or someone else’s) solely or partly because you couldn’t locate an available, convenient public charging point close by?’
[3] Aforementioned consumer research found that 89.2% of all respondents answered ‘yes’ to the question ‘Are you aware that domestic electrical extension leads are not suitable for outside use?’
[4] Aforementioned consumer research found that 52.5% of respondents answered ‘yes, more than once’ or ‘yes, once’ to the question ‘if you charge your EV with the aid of an extension lead from your home to your car, have you ever left the cable(s) running to your EV when it’s been raining?’
[5] Aforementioned consumer research found 75.5% of those who said ‘yes, all the time’ or ‘yes, some of the time’ to the question ‘have you ever used a domestic multi-socket extension lead (i.e. one you would use in your house) outside to charge your Electric Vehicle from the mains of a residential property (whether yours or someone else’s) solely or partly because you couldn’t locate an available, convenient public charging point close by? answered either ‘yes, all the time’ or ‘yes, sometimes’ to the question ‘have you ever daisy-chained’ the extension leads (plugging one extension lead into another for longer reach) to charge your electric vehicle from the mains of a residential property (whether yours or someone else’s)?’
[6] Aforementioned consumer research found that 35.6% of respondents answered ‘no, not adequate at all’ to the question ‘In your opinion, is the current accessibility of charging points in your area adequate?’
[7] Comparative figures calculated using regional data on numbers of charging locations from Zap-Map compared to region size and population as indicated by the ONS
[8] Aformentioned consumer research found that 71.6% of respondents answered ‘Yes, more than once’ or ‘Yes, once’ to the question ‘has a lack of public charging points when you take long journeys away from your own home or workplace ever forced you to use an extension lead from a domestic mains socket to charge your vehicle at your destination?’; 44.5% answered ‘yes, more than once’.