SHOCK IN STORE FOR ELECTRIC CAR DRIVERS
MOTORISTS who bought fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars to save on fuel bills are now being urged to switch to better tariffs and new smart meters for home-charging as energy costs go through the roof.
Experts warn that bills for the average UK household are on course to hit £4,266 a year in January after a rise to more than £3,500 in October.
Motoring magazine Auto Express said: ‘Energy regulator Ofgem is set to announce the new energy price cap at the end of August with the change taking effect in October. This could mean bad news for electric vehicle (EV) drivers who charge their cars at home.’
Currently, drivers charging an electric vehicle on an off-peak tariff pay the equivalent of 1.9 pence a mile with Octopus Intelligent at 7.5p/per kilowatt hour (kWh). That means a typical UK driver’s annual mileage of 6,800 miles in an average EV could cost £129.20.
By comparison, at the current standard variable tariff of 28p/kWh, that same annual mileage would cost a driver £476.
David Watson of Ohme, which sells Home Pro EV smart chargers, said: ‘If, as predicted, that standard electricity tariff rises to 60p/kWh, those same 6,800 miles would cost an EV driver £1,020 — eight times more than on an off-peak tariff.’
He said that EV motorists should speak to their electricity supplier and see if they offer an off-peak tariff to help offset the rises — and if not, consider switching suppliers to one that does.