It’s the end of the road for our troublesome all-electric cars 

We are all encouraged to switch to electric cars for obvious reasons: they are kinder to the environment than petrol or diesel models because they do not emit CO2 – a major contributor to global warming.

And the numbers show an increase ahead of the government’s plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. Personal use of electric cars far outweighs business use, thanks to generous tax breaks.

In the year to April 2023, about 20,500 EVs were registered, 59 percent more than last year’s 12,899 and account for 15 percent of the total market share, according to data from the industry organization Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). ).

Nevertheless, a growing number of electric car owners are dissatisfied. Last week, actor and car collector Rowan Atkinson opened up about his disappointment with their performance, as did writer and broadcaster Giles Coren.

The list of complaints includes battery problems, software problems and the fact that vehicles cannot travel the distances promised by manufacturers.

The main problem is that while the number of electric cars is increasing, the charging infrastructure is woefully inadequate to meet the demand.

For every public charger, there were 36 electric cars on the road last year, up from 31 in 2021, the SMMT says.

Mike Hawes, the trade association’s CEO, admits availability is likely to get worse before it gets better and he is aware of a growing number of complaints about the lack of reliable public charging points.

The Motor Ombudsman recorded the highest-ever quarterly volume of consumer complaints about electric vehicles in the first three months of the year.

About 273 were registered, up from 104 last year. The ombudsman said complaints ranged from customer service to brakes and range.

Lizzie Butler-Meadows, 36, a hospital doctor from Chichester, West Sussex, sold her Nissan Leaf a year ago over frustrations over a lack of public charging points. She now drives a diesel Mercedes Benz A class.

She had been using her electric car for commuting, in addition to daily use and occasional longer trips across the country.

However, her rented flat had no street parking and there were no nearby charging points either at home or at the hospital where she works. Instead, she relied on a public charging station 15 minutes from her home — which was sometimes already used by other vehicles or out of order.

She says: “I have sent several emails to the council asking if they could look into installing a street charger in our area.

‘However, I got a general reply explaining how they would handle this going forward and that I would have to use the limited number of chargers found in council car parks around Portsmouth, which is 29 miles away. Before I would consider an electric car again, I would like to see improvements in the charging network.’

John Wilmot, founder and CEO of comparison site LeaseLoco, says: “We are seeing increased demand for electric vehicles, which increased rapidly between 2021 and 2022, despite a leveling off over the past 12 months.

The government will have to increase the number of charging stations and facilities if they expect motorists to switch to electric driving after 2030, especially if millions of households cannot install their own electric charging points.’

Despite often costing more up front than petrol or diesel cars, electric cars have lower running costs. According to the Energy Saving Trust, a full charge giving a typical driving range of 200 miles would cost around £8-£12 at home.

I got a parking ticket for charging!

At the end of the trial, she opted for a hybrid alternative because she found the charging infrastructure too cluttered.

Roz Colthart, a hair salon consultant from Edinburgh, rented a fully electric Peugeot car in December 2021 to test whether it would work for her.

‘Some chargers accept a bank card, for others you need a preloaded charge card.

There are several apps people can use to find chargers near you, but they aren’t always up to date,” she says.

Roz Colthart once got a parking ticket for standing too long charging her Mini Countryman plug-in hybrid

“Places like Ikea and Aldi are rolling out charging stations, but they tend to be quite busy so you have to choose your time wisely.

“The best place to charge my car was at the local McDonald’s. It took two and a half hours for a full charge. I parked, read a book and sat in the car while it was charging.

I once got a parking ticket for standing too long!’ Roz, 49, now drives a Mini Countryman plug-in hybrid for personal use, such as shopping or visiting friends.

She charges the car in her garage via a standard three-prong plug and fills up with gas every five weeks.

She says she wouldn’t recommend an electric car to someone without on-street parking, and they should instead rely on public chargers.

“I hope that by the time I buy my next car, the charging infrastructure will have improved, but there is still a way to go,” she adds.

This compares to £26-£32 for petrol or diesel, although electricity costs can add up if you use public charging points.

Fast-charging points at motorway service stations typically cost £22 for a 30-minute, 90-mile charge, says charging company Pod Point.

Electric cars are also exempt from the £165 per year road tax on petrol and diesel cars, although it expires in April 2025. Meanwhile, they are exempt from congestion charges in cities such as London and Birmingham, although they will pay the charge in London from 2025.

There are also tax benefits for entrepreneurs and employees who use a company car. Entrepreneurs who lease an electric car can deduct the full monthly costs from their turnover, which means they pay less corporate tax.

They can also reclaim 50 percent of the VAT, or 100 percent if the car is not used in a personal capacity.

For employees and drivers who use a company car for trips outside of work, the in-kind tax rate is just two percent, compared to a typical starting rate of 25 percent for fossil fuel cars.

Two-thirds of electric vehicles will be purchased by business customers by 2022, the SMMT says.

Betsy Benn, who runs a personalized gift business in Cheltenham, started leasing a Jaguar iPace three years ago because of the tax and environmental benefits and low running costs. Betsy, 48, uses the car mainly for personal travel and occasional trips to London to visit suppliers.

She charges the car’s battery at night because her energy supplier charges less for off-peak electricity consumption, with the cost coming out at about 2.8 cents per kilometer. She says there are many attractive features about an electric car, but overall she’s disappointed by the iPace.

Betsy doesn’t trust her Jag’s promised range of 282 miles, as she says this quickly diminishes when air conditioning, heating the car or sitting in slow traffic is taken into account, all of which drain the battery. For long distances, Betsy says she’s more likely to travel by train or rent a petrol car.

‘The charging network is not there – even if you find a charging station, there is often a defect. You then have to wait 20 minutes for someone to finish charging. I’ve had scenarios where I came off a freeway interchange and found all the banks were out of action, so I had to get on the freeway, back down and go to the other side of the services hoping they are up and running.”

Her leased iPace needs to be renewed and she plans to switch to another electric car, a Kia e-Niro, which she says has a much longer range.

One option for drivers nervous about going all-electric is to opt for a hybrid model, which runs on a combination of electric and petrol or diesel. With a plug-in hybrid car, you use electricity for local journeys and switch to conventional fuel for longer journeys.

Hybrid cars generally emit less CO2 than petrol or diesel cars and should therefore also benefit from tax benefits. However, the government plans to ban the sale of new hybrid cars from 2035 to encourage more drivers to drive fully electric.