​For many EV users, charging at home will meet most of their daily needs, whether they drive a long range vehicle or an smaller runabout.
With most drivers in the UK averaging less than 40 miles a day, visits to the public network for people with a driveway need not be frequent. There are some simple things to know:
You should havea dedicated charge point professionally installed. Yes, you can charge very slowly from a 13A socket, but that isn't recommended as a long term solution. With grant funding from OLEV and the Energy Saving Trust in Scotland, it needn't be a daunting prospect. The EST site also has a list of approved installers in Scotland, just scroll down. All new OLEV funded charge points must be 'smart', as this will be critical for ensuring the security of the electricity supply, both in the street and nationally. Read a little more about that here. The Association recommends that cars without smart chargers at home set a timer to prevent charging between about 5 pm and 11pm to avoid peak loads. You can always over-ride if you need to!
Without a driveway, you still can easily operate an EV. For home charging options you will need to approach your local council to explore the possibility of a public on-street charger near you. Currently, councils can access additional funding for these.
Other solutions include what we term 'Lifestyle Charging'. Charge at your workplace, at the shops, cinema or gym. The more people who request charge points at these locations, the better any facilities will become. You don't always need to charge to full, just to what you need (or can). Remember also that workplace charging is not a classed as a Benefit in Kind, so has no tax implication.
Most importantly, go up and ask EV users about their experiences. Most EV drivers will be keen to share their story with you, will be open about advantages and disadvantages and usually happy to discuss any concerns you have.
The future: we'll talk more about things like Vehicle to Home (V2H) soon.