Green vehicle movement specialists Engineius have seen the number of electric vehicles it delivers across the UK has increased by 700 per cent since 2019, confirming the UK's increased appetite for electric vehicles. However, more improvement in the charging network is urgently needed, the company argues, citing its own experience of delivering electric vehicles.
Paul Langton, a driver for Engineius comments: “I like EVs and owned one myself three years ago which I used for local driving. I fitted my life around charging points, so if I’m delivering an EV a short distance away, it is relatively straight-forward. But, if I need to recharge along the way, finding a charging station close to the customer’s house can be difficult, which can lead to delays resulting in both a poor end-user experience and a less favourable first impression of EVs.”
Ofgem reports that people are still put off buying EVs due to a lack of charging points near their home. Moreover, Engineius reports charging problems are compounded by a lack of charging infrastructure at prep sites. In practice, this means EVs often begin their delivery journey with a low level of charge.
Calum Slowther, commercial director for Engineius explains: “Currently the cost saving to the Fleet Manager on fuel with an EV delivery has been replaced by labour time. The ultra fast chargers being installed will significantly reduce the cost of EV deliveries to customers and offer the whole benefit of an EV to the fleet”.
Range anxiety is also particularly bad in vehicle movement as journeys tend to be long. A driver often starts their journey in a partially charged EV, and is aware that outside factors such as the weather and outside temperature can have an impact on the specified range. Communicating with the customer during the delivery is key to managing expectations as the unpredictability of the time taken to recharge en-route is far removed from refueling an ICE vehicle.
Slowther enthuses: “Our goal at Engineius is to make vehicle movement as easy, cost effective and with the lowest emissions possible. We are seeing a significant increase in the number of EVs we deliver, so therefore welcome the recent announcement for 3,550 EV charging points from Ofgem."
