Hybrids ‘charge too slowly for M-way services’

SOME electric vehicles should be banned from using motorway chargepoints because they take too long to top up, according to a report.

Slower-charging plug-in hybrids are blocking equipment required for battery-only vehicles on long journeys, a study for the RAC Foundation warned.

The latest battery-only cars need just five minutes at the quickest chargepoints to add 15 miles to their range, compared with an hour for almost all plug-in hybrids.

Battery-only cars have no combustion engine, while plug-in hybrids can operate in full electric mode, using conventional fuel or a combination of both.

Report author Harold Dermott recommended that chargepoints at motorway service areas should be reserved solely for battery-only cars until plug-in hybrids have a greater electricity-only range and can charge faster.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: ‘Compatibility between car and charger is key.’

In July, there were 112,000 plug-in hybrid and 54,000 pure battery-electric vehicles registered in the UK.