‘Range anxiety’ in the rear view mirror for electric drivers

FEAR of running out of battery far from the nearest charging point is the stuff of nightmares for electric car drivers.

But so-called “range anxiety” will soon become a thing of the past, according to the AA, after breakdown calls for low batteries plummeted this year.

Only 2.3 per cent of emergency callouts by electric vehicle (EV) drivers to the AA for the year ending October were because of batteries running out of power, data show, down from 4.3 per cent in 2021 and 8.3 per cent in 2015.

The AA soon expects the number of battery-related callouts to fall below 1 per cent – the same level for petrol or diesel cars running out of fuel.

Better batteries on newer EVS, a greater number of charging points, and motorists being more knowledgeable about EV range had all contributed to the drop, the AA said.

Edmund King, AA president, said: “There are still lots of myths being peddled about EVS running out of charge on almost every long journey.

“At the AA we have the evidence to show this is just not the case.”

EVS have slowly become more popular with UK drivers, with around 16 per cent of all new cars bought in the UK running on a battery, up from 15 per cent last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

The AA received 83,000 callouts by EV drivers in the year.

The most common reason, or around 21.5 per cent of those emergencies, was related to tyre issues. Problems charging the battery accounted for 19.8 per cent.

However, RAC, the AA’S main rival, warned that it expected to deal with more flat batteries in January as workers return to the office.

The RAC predicted that 28 per cent of the breakdowns it will attend on January 2 will be for flat batteries.

‘There are still myths being peddled about EVS running out of charge on almost every long journey’