8:48 am, October 31, 2022
The spiralling cost of plugging an EV into a public charger has been revealed in a new study.
Data collected by electric car charging mapping service Zap-Map, found that prices have risen by a whopping 14 per cent in recent months, as electricity prices continue to soar.
In September, the average price for a rapid charger with an output higher than 22kW increased to 56p/kWh – a 7p spike when compared to June.
The hike means that it now costs £34.72 to fully charge a typical electric car, such as the MG4 Long Range with its 62kWh battery – an increase of £4.32.
The cost of using a slower public charger (22kW in power or less) has also increased from 34p/kWh to 39p/kWh in the same timeframe – up 14.7 per cent.
Using the same MG4 as an example, it will now cost £24.18 for a full charge with one of these units – £3.18 more than in June.
The data highlights just how steeply EV-running costs have risen in recent times but Zap-Map insists they remain far cheaper than their petrol and diesel counterparts.
On average, electric cars are around £900 cheaper to run than a comparable petrol and diesel car, even when relying purely on public electric car chargers.
However, for drivers who can plug in at home and take advantage of lower electricity rates – according to the Energy Saving Trust, the national average as of October 2022 is 34p/kWh – this saving increases to £1,200 versus a conventional car.
A Zap-Map survey of 4,300 electric car drivers found that 41 per cent are now concerned about the high cost of charging – up from 33 per cent in 2021. Despite this, 80 per cent were still confident that an EV is currently cheaper to run than an equivalent petrol or diesel vehicle.
Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and chief operating officer at Zap-Map, said: ‘Although the results of our survey show many EV drivers are keeping a close eye on the rising costs of electricity, it’s still significantly cheaper to run an electric car than a petrol or diesel vehicle.
‘With more and more drivers switching to electric, the purpose of our data is to keep track of the price that EV drivers pay when out and about, as well as how it varies across the different types of chargers.
‘This will in turn help EV drivers to seek out the cheapest charging option and keep their costs firmly under control.’
