Owners of Electric cars could save £3,000 a year as the North East leads the transport revolution. Subscribe to the Electric Vehicle News Bitesize Podcast and YouTube shows.
New research has shown that the North East outside London is the UK’s best region for electric vehicles.
The North East is at the forefront of a transport revolution, saving drivers up to £3,000 a year on their bills.
Esure research has found that the entire North East is the region outside London best prepared for the coming electric vehicle era.
Based on 9,645 registered Electric Vehicles spread across 935 charging stations in the region, the North East overall has the highest number of Electric Vehicle chargers per electric or hybrid vehicle outside London – 10 Electric Vehicles per charger.
Among the top 10 specific regions in the UK, the capital came first with a charging rate of 4.1 electric vehicles, Sunderland came in second with 4.7 electric or hybrid vehicles, and Newcastle came in fourth (8.4), Durham 5th (7.10) and Teesside 7th (7.11)
Commenting on the research, esure’s Neil Dwyer said: “As Electric Vehicle sales continue to grow and the UK becomes more environmentally conscious, we wanted to see which regions are already preparing for an Electric Vehicle future.
“As our research shows, it is critical that some of these locations invest in their Electric Vehicle infrastructure to ensure a smooth transition for those on the road before the end of the decade.
“But no matter where you live, if you drive an electric car or plan to do so in the near future, it’s important to make sure you have proper backups and have proper insurance in case anything goes wrong.”
Meanwhile, Vanarama’s research highlights three ways a switch to electric vehicles could save owners around £3,000 a year.
Low-emissions zones, commonly known as LEZs, are designed to encourage owners of polluting vehicles to reduce driving in city centre areas. Research by Vanarama found that the LEZ exemption could save Electric Vehicle drivers £175 a month, equivalent to £2,100 a year and £8,400 per total vehicle ownership (four years) on average.
By eliminating fuel costs at petrol stations, Electric Vehicle owners can save £72 a month, which equates to £858 a year, or £3,432 per car on average. Fuel savings include the cost of charging an electric car (£342 a year), based on the average UK driver’s 7,600 miles a year.
Under current regulations, road tax does not apply to pure electric vehicles. This means Electric Vehicle owners can save £13 a month, £150 a year, and £600 per total car ownership on average, without paying road tax. The tax calculations are based on the UK’s best-selling car in 2021, the Vauxhall Corsa under 40,000 units.
Top 10 UK areas with Electric Vehicle charging points per vehicle
London; 4.1
Sunderland; 4.7
Kirkwall; 7.2
Newcastle-upon-Tyne; 8.4
Durham; 10.7
Dumfries; 11.6
Teesside; 11.7
Brighton; 11.8
Manchester; 12.2
Nottingham; 13.6
The British Standards Institute (BSI) has launched a consultation on a new standard to ensure accessibility to public charging of electric vehicles.
As the UK’s national standards body, BSI seeks input from parties involved in the design, manufacture and installation of charging stations, as well as private landowners, local authorities, transport planners, consumer groups and energy suppliers.
The UK government’s commitment to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030 will lead to increased use of electric vehicles and will require a new and significant network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. With an estimated 14 million disabled people in the UK and an estimated 2.7 million disabled drivers in 10 years, charging stations need to be fully designed to be accessible to all consumers. The new charging network should be aligned with government policies including inclusive transport.
As this appears to be the first standard of its kind internationally, BSi intends to develop requirements for accessible public charging of all plug-in vehicles for all potential users and pedestrians in order to create an inclusive charging environment for all persons with disabilities, Older adults and people with learning disabilities or neurodiversity disorders. The standard, called PAS 1899:2022: Electric Vehicles – Accessible Charging – Specification, focuses on achieving minimum accessibility standards for all public charging stations and environments where enhanced accessibility can be deployed.
Sponsored by the charity Motability and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), the standard aims to cover:
the physical aspects of the environment surrounding fixed charging units (e.g. kerb height, ground type)
the location, placement and spacing of such units within the streetscape and public realm and relative to other infrastructure and/or objects (e.g. placement of charging units relative to individual parking bays, adequate space surrounding the charging unit and vehicle)
factors to be taken account in the design and specification of accessible chargepoints and their more immediate surrounding areas (e.g. height of chargepoint, cables and cable management systems, bollard spacing, interface tilt, lighting, colours used, accessibility of language within communications, weight and ease of use of the equipment)
information, signals, and indicators provided.
Nick Fleming, head of transport and mobility standards at BSI, said: “BSI is excited to be involved in the development of this standard to encourage accessibility considerations in the manufacture, installation and maintenance of Electric Vehicle chargepoints. Electric Vehicle users have a wide range of needs and this PAS can help to improve user experience and ensure the public Electric Vehicle charging network is accessible for all. Improving the accessibility of Electric Vehicle charging networks will help to further drive the adoption of Electric Vehicles, an important step in the decarbonisation of the UK’s transport sector if we are to meet net zero targets by 2050.”
Barry Le Grys, chief executive of Motability, said: “As we transition to net zero, emerging transport options must be made accessible for disabled people right from the very beginning. Our research shows that half of disabled people will be reliant on public Electric Vehicle charging by 2035, yet they face a host of problems using public charging – from confusing instructions on payment units to heavy charging cables and limited space to move around in charging bays. Motability is sponsoring these standards because we believe that they are the only way that manufacturers can develop new infrastructure at pace which is fully accessible for disabled people and fit for the future of travel.”
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