How can homeowners prepare for the electric vehicle revolution?

Electric vehicles (EVs) are now officially on the horizon. Costs continue to drop, range is improving and nationwide EV networks are growing. Most EVs launched this year will have a 200+ mile range and the nationwide public charging network has as many as 21,000 chargers available, a remarkable growth from just 1,500 in 2011. However, research suggests that 81% of charging will take place at home, so your home charger will be vital to your mobility capability.

Not only is charging at home more convenient, quicker and safer than charging in public, it’s also cheaper, working out at around £7.80 for 200 miles. Think of it as your own in-home fuel station. Home chargers are set to become part of EV drivers’ critical infrastructure, so this is one area that we really advise people to invest in good quality kit! That old adage of “buy it cheap, buy it twice” really rings true here. You may have offers blasted in front of you, but very rarely will your installation end up at this price – it can vary based what charger you go for, where you’d like the installation, any extra electrical work you need and the quality of the installer. There have been known to be some too-good-to-be-true headline offers out there which have ended in faulty kit and a poor installation.  This could be difference in you being able to use your car, or not; you don’t want to find out that your car hasn’t charged overnight when you need it in the morning.

Environmentally, you’ve already done the hard part by buying an EV. You may make environmental savings by not having to drive to public chargers, but this will be marginal in the grand scheme of things. However, some chargers can enable extra environmental benefits. If you’ve got solar panels, some can detect when you have spare solar energy and route it to your vehicle. Soon we also expect to see smart, internet-connected chargers that can use your EV to support the grid and route energy into your home, or delay charging – all of which have further benefits for the planet. But, mass market options for these are a while away yet.

A home charger may set you back anywhere between £250 – £700. Charging publicly would typically cost 25p-35p/kWh but at home you’re more likely to pay between 8p-18p/kWh depending on your supplier and tariff. Yes, you can charge your EV at home with a regular 3-pin plug for the same cost, but it is unsafe and slow. However, you may decide that these combined with the convenience of a charger is worth the money, not to mention the added benefits the chargers may have (such as an app for insights and control).

As costs continue to drop and range continues to increase, we’re expecting as many as 36 million EVs to be driving on UK roads by 2040. In line with this growth public infrastructure will continue to expand rapidly to alleviate customers’ concerns but we expect these to become a safety net for driver, not a dependency. At-home EV infrastructure will still become as common and essential to every home as your boiler. With reports that new homes in England are set to be fitted with EV chargers as standard, as part of the Government’s Road to Zero strategy, it’s clear that there is value in getting one installed. The Government has also clearly shown its intentions by launching a £400 million Charging Infrastructure Fund. This is aimed at accelerating the deployment of such technology and specifically includes an emphasis on ensuring all future homes are armed ready with a charger. To us, all the evidence points in one direction. Any home of the future will be equipped with a smart, internet-connected charger as the UK continues to move towards a greener, more sustainable transport system.

Patrick Gregory, Product Analyst at Tonik Energy