UK National electric car charging network opens

Green energy firm Ecotricity announced the launch of a national electric car charging network across the UK yesterday.

In fact, it's a world first - no other country has a nationwide charging network at present.

Although the networks only half built, with 12 Welcome Break motorway service stations offering the charging points, another 17 are in the pipeline for completion by next year.

Opponents of Electric vehicles will no longer be able to say their range is restrictive.

The charging points, supplied by renewable energy sources, will offer two modes of charging - a normal '3 pin' 13A supply suitable for overnight charging and a '7 pin' 32A supply which Ecotricity reckon will 'top up' a car's charge in around 20 mins, with full charging times of around an hour.

Not all current electric cars are compatible with the fast charge technology, but it's only a matter of time.

Despite Government subsidies of up to £5,000 towards the cost of a new electric vehicle, many buyers are still put off by the still high cost when compared with their petrol or diesel counterparts.

Just 2,000 cars on UK roads are electric, from 5 current manufacturers.

photo credit: nrmadriversseat

Electric car charging points in London to get Boris Boost

TreeHugger reported last week how London is all set to get over a 1,000 new electric car charging points by 2012.

Currently there are just 250 accessible to the public but this will increase to over 1,300.

In fact, there will be more charging points than petrol stations, and if that statistic leaves us petrol heads scratching our heads, then it's worth remembering that there are already over 17,000 hybrid vehicles being used in Greater London.

Electric car owners already escape the congestion charge and there is also the 'Plug-in Car Grant' incentive which puts £5,000 towards the cost of a new electric vehicle, making them a little less extortionate in price when compared with their still cheaper petrol / diesel engines versions.

It all reminded me of a recent conversation with a fellow driver over the fuel pumps... He had pulled up in his Aston Martin beside the LPG pump and was muttering that the pump was not working.

He disclosed that he worked in London and that LPG pumps were notorious for not working / being out of LPG. The problem is so severe that he had a list of around 6 'local' garages that had LPG pumps when in London so if one wasn't working, he could navigate to another.

Of course, once you've left the city, finding an LPG pump that was working got a little trickier. Especially if you were low on fuel.

photo credit: david villa