Electric vehicle (EV) owners have suffered a 42% hike in the cost of using public rapid charging points in just four months.
The RAC stated that the average price for using the chargers on a pay as you go basis has increased by 18.75p per kilowatt hour (kWh) since May, reaching 63.29p per kWh.
This rise - caused by the soaring wholesale costs of gas and electricity - has made it nearly £10 more expensive to rapid charge a typical family-sized electric car to 80%.
The figures show a driver exclusively using rapid or ultra-rapid public chargers pays around 18p per mile for electricity, compared with roughly 19p per mile for petrol and 21p per mile for diesel.
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “It remains the case that charging away from home costs less than refuelling a petrol or diesel car, but these figures show that the gap is narrowing as a result of the enormous increases in the cost of electricity.
“These figures very clearly show that it’s drivers who use public rapid and ultra-rapid chargers the most who are being hit the hardest.”
Most electric car owners predominantly charge at home, which is cheaper, but an AA survey of 12,500 drivers indicated that rising domestic energy prices are putting many people off from switching to an electric car.
Some 63% of respondents said the increase in home electricity bills is contributing to them sticking with petrol or diesel models, while 10% stated it was the “main reason”.
The AA's head of roads policy Jack Cousens said: “With domestic energy prices rising, drivers can be forgiven for believing switching to an EV will become expensive quickly.
“However, the reality is that even with the hike in domestic electricity costs, running an EV is considerably cheaper than a petrol or diesel car.”
With sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK due to be banned from 2030, Cousens said the UK Government will need to “keep a watchful eye on how energy prices will impact the transition to electrification”.
Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show the rapid increase in sales of new pure electric cars has slowed in recent months.
The number of registrations during the first three months of the year was 102% more than during the same period in 2021. At the end of August, the year-to-date increase had fallen to 49%.
This follows research from Which? which showed that 74% of EV owners are unhappy with the UK’s public charging system.
The poll of almost 1,500 members of the consumer group who drive a pure electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle found that a further 40% reported finding a non-working charger, while 61% have suffered difficulties making payments.
The vast majority of EV owners (84%) who use public chargers want the option of paying by a contactless bank card - as many charging points require drivers to pay through an app.
Almost half (45%) of those questioned estimated that the nearest public on-street charge point to their home is more than a 20-minute walk away.
Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy at Which?, said: “Our research shows that the public EV charging infrastructure is falling short as many drivers struggle to find reliable charging points in good working order, have to navigate confusing payment systems, or are unable to rely on adequate charging points close to their homes or to get them through a long journey.
“The government must move quickly to implement its plans to improve the consumer experience of using the public charging networks by extending reliability standards across the full network and ensuring proposals for payment roaming make paying to charge much simpler.”
Many public EV charging points are operated by councils.
David Renard, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: “Reliability and ease of use of the charging infrastructure will be vital to continue attracting more people to make the switch to greener transport.
“Councils need long-term financial support from government so they can help ensure there are robust and accessible local charging networks to support our communities and businesses to adopt cleaner travel and tackle climate change.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson responded: “We have one of the largest charging networks in Europe, and are working to ensure drivers can access charge points across the country which are reliable, consistent and seamless to use.
“Since 2020 we have committed £1.6bn to improving the charging network and are on track to have 300,000 public charge points by 2030.”
For longer journeys, EV drivers often have to rely on motorway service stations - but usually with far fewer charging points, compared to petrol pumps.
One of the largest UK operators is Moto Hospitality, branded as Moto, which has 59 services across the country - with more than 300 chargers, as of this month.
The group's chief executive Ken McMeikan told Insider that while there are significant upfront costs to installing charging points, the biggest issue is around managing the requirement for power networks and charging operators to build ahead of demand.
"These long delivery times are attributable to issues with planning, landlord permissions and legal complexity," he explained. "In addition, further guidance from UK Government on funding and planning in relation to EVs would help to really accelerate the process at certain locations where the cost of power upgrades is exceptionally high and prohibitive."
Specifically, McMeikan argued for better accessibility to the £1bn fund that the UK Government has set aside to assist the roll out of the UK's charging network.
"We’d also like to see local authorities given much more specific guidance on the requirements for master service agreement provision, in order to create a more streamlined decision-making process in terms of planning consent for both site developments and connections to the power network.
"From our point of view, this is one of the largest stumbling blocks in accelerating our EV charging capacity and one which the government can help address to give us the greatest opportunity in delivering for all motorists as they navigate the transition away from internal combustion engine vehicles."
Moto also recognises the need to consider how existing leases with National Highways and landlords could be reviewed and updated with a single Deed of Variation, allowing for EV installations and related sub-leases without landlords’ consent.
"We are committed to revolutionising the EV charging experience and dramatically expanding the number of charging points at each of our sites," added McMeikan. "As part of this effort, we are also working closely with the National Grid and the UK’s Distribution Network Operators to ensure all of our sites have the capacity to deliver the increased electricity demand that will be required as more people make the switch to EV.
"We continue to launch more EV super hubs, with the aim of meeting the government’s 2023 target of having a minimum of six high power chargers at each of our sites."
A spokesperson for Welcome Break - which also has more than 300 charging points across its 35 UK service stations - said it is working with providers including Tesla, Gridserve and Instavolt to ensure that there is sufficient availability across the network.
"This year we launched our own brand, Applegreen Electric, and we are currently rolling this out to more sites," the statement read, adding: "The timelines to install additional chargers is often out of our control, as we wait for networks to be brought to sites by grid operators."
Meanwhile, a new report from Novuna Vehicle Solutions has cast doubt on whether the UK Government’s target of installing 300,000 devices by 2030 is achievable.
The car finance firm interviewed more than 2,000 UK motorists and analysed public data, revealing that the number of electric cars chasing every public charge point has grown threefold in just three years, rising from a ratio of 5:1 in January 2021 to a ratio of 15:1 in January 2022.
The rapidly growing competition for public charge points means that just under a third (31%) of EV drivers now frequently have to queue for a charger, while just over three quarters (76%) report that the UK’s current charging infrastructure is unfit for purpose.
Despite this, 59% of petrol or diesel car drivers reckon their next car is likely to be an EV.
Novuna predicted that this future demand will result in more than half of UK adults being EV drivers by 2030, the date when the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles will be phased out. This would equate to 54 EVs vying for every public device by 2030 – even if the 300,000 public charge point milestone is reached.
Consequently, the clamour for off-street parking amongst EV drivers means that two thirds (68%) said they would never buy or live in a house without the space to install their own charge point.
Four in five EV drivers (81%) want the government to do more to boost the number of chargers in the UK, while virtually the same proportion (79%) want their local authority to do more.
Jonny Berry, head of decarbonisation at Novuna, commented: “Demand for EVs has accelerated at a relentless pace, yet we’re rapidly facing the prospect of failing to realise the level of adequate public charging infrastructure to support mass adoption of EVs by the start of the next decade.
“Having to queue for a charge is a concern raised all too often by motorists, illustrating just how pressing it is for more charge points to be installed as a matter of urgency - without radically transforming existing infrastructure addressing charging anxiety, the road map to net zero will undoubtedly extend beyond 2030.”
Despite the shortcomings, the vast majority of EV owners say they enjoy driving their vehicles and can't imagine ever driving a traditional car again. More than three quarters (78%) of EV drivers said their next vehicle will be an EV of some kind, with younger generations most eager to make the switch.
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