This report by Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, is a personal observation of the practicalities involved in driving a battery-electric vehicle around south-east England and trying to recharge it at a number of locations, with various types and speeds of charger, operated by different companies.
By its nature this account is subjective and anecdotal. Clearly, it is not a definitive view of the state of electric vehicle charging in this country but it does provide an insight into the everyday realities faced, at the time of writing, by the million or so drivers in the UK who own a car that needs to be plugged in to refuel.
Many of those one million drivers will derive the financial and practical benefits of charging at home. However, at one stage or another most will inevitably come face-to-face with the public charging network and are likely to recognise the experiences of the author who, it should be said, is an EV novice.
