Rising EV charging costs threaten UK EV adoption

As if the electric vehicle boom needed another nail in the coffin, the UK has now produced figures showing that driving electric vehicles is “up to twice as expensive” as driving a regular petrol car.

Data from the ZapMap app confirmed that operating an electric vehicle (EV) can cost more than 24p per mile, compared to 12.5p per mile for a diesel vehicle, according to the data. Yahoo Finance and The Telegraph.

And charging an electric vehicle at a roadside fast or ultra-fast station can cost as little as 80p per kilowatt hour.

According to calculations by The Timesa typical electric car travels 3.3 miles per kWh, making fast chargers cost 24.1 per mile, while slower chargers cost 16.4 per mile. This is roughly double the cost of a diesel car at 12.5p per mile, with petrol cars costing 14.5p per mile.

A return journey from London to Penzance would cost £148 using fast chargers, compared to £77 for diesel and £89 for petrol. Charging at home is much cheaper, costing less than a third of fast chargers.

ZapMap has seen a 5% increase in fast charger prices over the past year, despite a 30% drop in wholesale electricity prices and falling oil prices, report say.

The Yahoo report says that even drivers using slower public chargers, which can fully recharge a vehicle in about 30 minutes, pay more per mile than petrol or diesel users.

The number of fast and ultra-fast charging stations in the UK has increased by 40%, now exceeding 12,500. However, sales of electric cars have slowed, accounting for 17.2% of new registrations in 2024, down from 18.7% at the end of 2022.

Fast chargers currently cost EV drivers 24.1p/mile, while slower chargers cost 16.4p/mile.

By Zerohedge.com

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