Due to the high electricity prices, people with electric cars are increasingly looking for ways to reduce charging costs, according to the annual National Charging Survey, conducted by the University of Groningen. For example, charging at home is more common as a result of the increased rates of public charging stations. That is especially cheaper for people with solar panels.
More than three-quarters (77 percent) of plug-in car drivers now have these panels on their roofs. According to the researchers, a “remarkably large proportion” of home chargers (20 percent) have now switched to a dynamic power contract with often much lower rates during off-peak hours. The rest would like to do this. “Dynamic rates are not only becoming increasingly popular with home chargers. Almost half of the electric drivers want dynamic rates to be possible at public charging stations as well.”
According to the latest figures, more than 50 percent of the kilometers driven are charged at home, 25 percent at public charging points, 13 percent at work and 9 percent at a fast charger on the road.
Many people with electric cars still experience problems with public charging. For example, they run into defective charging stations or the charging station is already occupied. In addition, cars with fuel engines sometimes occupy the loading bays. In the eyes of drivers of electric cars, things are often not well organized at work either, partly due to a lack of charging points.
Electric drivers are most dissatisfied with charging abroad during holidays. “Especially too few charging stations (on the road and at destination), defective charging stations and lack of clarity about the operation of the charging card or charging app abroad are many experienced bottlenecks,” the report states.
The research is an initiative of ElaadNL, the Association of Electric Drivers and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
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