Adding another blow to the EV industry, recent figures from the UK reveal that driving an electric vehicle is now reportedly “up to twice as expensive” as driving a traditional gas-powered car.
Data sourced from the ZapMap app confirms that the cost of operating an electric vehicle (EV) can be over 24p per mile, in contrast to the 12.5p per mile cost for a diesel vehicle, as reported by Yahoo Finance and The Telegraph.
Charging an EV at a rapid or ultra-rapid roadside station can escalate to 80p per kilowatt-hour.
According to The Times, an average electric car covers 3.3 miles per kWh, resulting in rapid charger costs of 24.1p per mile, whereas slower chargers cost 16.4p per mile. This stands at around double the cost of a diesel car at 12.5p per mile, with petrol cars at 14.5p per mile.
A round trip from London to Penzance would set you back £148 using rapid chargers, compared to £77 for diesel and £89 for petrol. Charging at home proves to be much more cost-effective, amounting to less than a third of rapid charger costs.
Despite a 30% decrease in electricity wholesale prices and declining oil prices, ZapMap has noted a 5% increase in rapid charger prices over the past year, according to the report.
The Yahoo report highlights that even with the use of slower public chargers that can fully recharge a vehicle in approximately 30 minutes, EV drivers still end up paying more per mile than petrol or diesel users.
The number of rapid and ultra-rapid charging stations in Britain has surged by 40%, surpassing 12,500. However, electric car sales have seen a decline, accounting for 17.2% of new registrations in 2024, down from 18.7% in late 2022.
Currently, rapid chargers cost EV drivers 24.1p per mile, while slower chargers cost 16.4p per mile.
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