PUBLIC EV CHARGERS:STATED RATES VERSUS REALITY

Drivers of electric cars often find that public rapid chargers deliver power much slower than their advertised pak rate. We find out why and put some to the test.

- CLAIRE EVANS

CHARGING ANXIETY HAS taken over from range anxiety as the number one reason why car buyers are shying away from switching to electric vehicles (EVs).

In a What Car? survey of in-market car buyers, more than a third of the 2265 respondents who told us they were put off switching to an EV cited concerns about limitations in the UK's public charging infrastructure. More specifically, they worried that they'd turn up at a charging location and find the devices broken or busy. The high price of rapid charging was also among buyers' reservations.

A separate survey of current EV owners highlighted concerns over disappointing charging speeds, with complaints that the advertised kilowatt (kW) rates at public sites are often not achievable in reality. This tallies with much of our experience with public chargers. Our latest research reveals that while some public chargers provide very swift charging, others are far slower than the advertised rates suggest.

But what are the reasons for these largely disappointing results? And can anything be done to resolve a situation that's proving such a turn-off for EV buyers?

THE CHARGING LIMITATIONS OF EVs

While some chargers promise power at up to 360kW, very few EVs can actually accept a charge at such a high rate. All cars have a maximum charging rate; the Renault Scenic electric SUV, for example, can accept up to 150kW. However, even allowing for that, there are a number of other reasons why EVs might take on electricity at slower-than-expected rates - a major one being when the car restricts the rate it will accept from a charger, in a bid to protect battery life.