Drivers demand simplicity at EV chargepoints

Electric vehicle drivers have highlighted the changes they want to see made to the public charging network.

The Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) surveyed EV drivers in response to the government’s consultation on the ‘Consumer Experience at Public Electric Vehicle Chargepoints’.

Over 1,000 drivers participated in the survey in England, which highlighted widespread support for the rollout of contactless credit and debit card payments, being able to use one charge card or app across multiple charging network operators, and higher levels of reliability.

The survey also highlighted the importance of the public charging network even to those with off-street parking, with 92% of electric vehicle drivers relying on the public charging network at least once a month.

Gill Nowell, director at EVA England, said: “With automotive manufacturers, fleets and businesses all now choosing to go electric, we need to improve the consumer experience at public chargepoints to take EV adoption mainstream. Based on the outputs of this survey, paving the road for the mass adoption of EVs looks like contactless card payments, roaming, consistent chargepoint reliability, simplified billing, and easy access to information about what chargers are where.

“We recognise that the pace of chargepoint deployment is increasing and that the infrastructure going in the ground today is greatly improved from that which was being installed even five years ago. However, we encourage government to intervene now in order to ensure that all charging infrastructure is reliable, safe and user-friendly, across all driver groups.”