Tips, tricks, and myths for new electric vehicle owners

According to the latest industry forecasts, by 2025, 20% of all new cars sold globally will be electric. This growth is forecast to double by 2030, and by 2040 virtually every new vehicle sold globally will be electric.

For those who currently own an electric vehicle, it can sometimes seem like you’re a little ahead of the curve. The lack of comprehensive infrastructure means you are often left searching for the perfect charging location. In this article, we want to highlight some helpful tips and tricks that will help you settle into EV life.

Google Maps EV route planner.

Google Maps is the number 1 choice for road users when planning a trip this is no different for electric vehicle owners – in fact planning your route is vital for EV users and, Google Maps have several tools dedicated to the EV community.

Google Maps lets users search for electric car charging stations according to which EV charging cable types works with their car, which means that when you enter a location, you’ll see an option to specify what area has a plug to match your electric vehicle.

Find your nearest charging point here.

Find your local free EV charge points.

There are now more than 35,000 charge points throughout the UK. Believe it or not, that means there are currently more places to charge than there are petrol stations. Although many of these aren’t currently free of charge, Volkswagen, Tesco and Pod Point are leading the way for free EV charging and have pledged that by the end of July 2021, there will be 400 new 7kW and 22kW EV charging bays at Tesco stores. They also plan for selected stores to feature 50kW rapid chargers.

View the latest Tesco stores with EV charging here.

Is an Electric car cheaper to run?

A common question that gets asked is: “Is an electric car cheaper to run compared to a non-electric car? “And quite simply, the answer is yes.

Of course, it depends on how economical your electric car is and how much you pay for your electricity. Comparing the Easby Tesla against a non-electric car, we did a test and documented our findings below. The non-electric car did an average of 44 miles per gallon which came in at £0.13 per mile. The electric car, which has a range of 300 miles, was charged at home using a standard daytime electricity tariff, which gave an average cost of £0.033 per mile, which is quite a saving over a year, especially for high mileage drivers.

	Average overnight Electricity home rate: £0.08/kW	Average day Electricity home rate: £0.14/kW	Average Motorway charge rate: £0.30/kW	Diesel/Petrol: £1.30/Litre
70kw Battery	£5.60 to charge	£9.80 to charge	£21 to charge	N/A
Price per mile based on 300mile range vehicle	£0.019 per mile	£0.033 per mile	£0.07 per mile	£0.13 per mile

Do EVs cost more to repair and maintain?

Electric vehicles often come with the misconception that they cost a small fortune to repair and maintain. Research shows that an electric car is at least 30% less to service and maintain than an internal combustion-engined vehicle. Of course, this depends on the model that you drive and how you drive it. Think of it this way, most of the mechanical parts that regularly need maintaining on a non-electric car aren’t there with EVs.