Consumer Scotland has identified concerns about the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure available to Scottish motorists, including a lack of domestic charging capacity, high costs and the reliability of the public charging network.
The public body, which was set up in 2022 to safeguard the interests of Scottish consumers, commissioned a YouGov survey of 463 EV drivers and 204 drivers who are considering purchasing an EV in the future. It found that three quarters (73%) of EV drivers charge mostly at home, strongly preferring to do so because of lower costs and high convenience.
However, this option is not available to all drivers; the 2021 Scottish Household Condition Survey identified that around half of Scotland’s households live in circumstances where home charging could be difficult, with 37% in flats and 21% in terraced houses.
Consumer Scotland found that for 38% of drivers who do not tend to charge at home, the cost of running an EV is higher than expected. There were some examples of costs being more expensive than fuelling petrol or diesel vehicles.
There are also concerns around availability and reliability of the public charging network, with significant anxiety about being able to charge EVs when required.
Around four in ten of those surveyed (39%) disagreed there were enough charging points for them to use and 46% disagreed that public charging points are typically in good working order.
One driver said: “Charging is the big negative. We’ve had a full electric car for 5.5 years and it is still very difficult and inconvenient to take it on long journeys. We thought the amount of chargers and reliability would have improved much more in this time.”
Another said: “If I had to rely on public charging I’d sell the car and get something else. Public charging is out of control for cost. It takes too long and is very inconvenient.”
The survey further highlighted a significant information issue when comparing the difference between the advertised range of vehicles and battery life and the real life experience on the road.
And there are also early indications of consumer concerns around the vehicle maintenance and repair infrastructure for EVs.
Consumer Scotland’s recommendations include:
- significantly improving the public charging network, particularly in areas with housing types such as flats where consumers are unlikely to be able to charge at home
- better access to lower cost public network charging
- improved information on the performance of EVs in advance of purchase, including seasonal variations in battery range and degradation in battery life
- increasing capacity of servicing and repair as the second hand EV market develops
Head of Analysis for Consumer Scotland, Eleanor Mullan, said: “In future years there will be a significant increase in the number of consumers purchasing and relying on EVs for domestic travel.
“Our research shows EVs are attractive due to the environmental benefits and they can also offer significant benefits around convenience and cheaper running costs. We found EV drivers in Scotland are very positive about their vehicles.
“However, they highlighted a number of concerns including the cost and accessibility of the public charging infrastructure available in Scotland, which will have a larger impact on those without access to at home charging.
“There are many organisations involved in delivering an effective EV sector and it is essential they work collaboratively to ensure EVs and the infrastructure that supports them work for all consumers.
“We will play our part by working with these organisations to explore how our recommendations can be delivered to ensure choosing an EV does not lead to negative experiences.”
In Scotland, domestic transport is the biggest single source of emissions which drive climate change and are also a source of local air pollution. The Scottish Government has committed to reducing transport carbon emissions by 56% by 2030 and to decarbonise completely by 2045.
The new UK Government has also committed to bringing forward the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 to 2030 and it is estimated that these will be almost removed from Scottish roads by 2045 through natural turnover.
However, as of March 2024, less than 1.4% of all privately registered cars in Scotland were fully electric.
