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There is a danger that the number of people switching to electric vehicles (EVs) may fall behind in some areas of the UK due to a disparity in charging costs, new research has revealed.
British Gas submitted Freedom of Information requests to more than 400 councils across England and Wales and found drivers in the South of England are being charged 28% more to charge their EVs than those in the North, Midlands and Wales.
Based on the average price of the cheapest council-owned chargers, drivers in East Anglia, London, the South East and South West of England pay 32p/kWh to recharge compared with just 25p/kWh for people in Wales, the Midlands and the North.
At 20p/kWh when using the cheapest council-owned chargers available, the West Midlands have the lowest-cost charging points. In contrast, drivers in the South West pay 63p/kWh, more than 57% higher than the second most expensive region, the East of England, where the cheapest chargers cost 40p/kWh.
| Region | Cost to charge p/kWh using cheapest public chargers available |
| West Midlands | £0.20 |
| East Midlands | £0.22 |
| North West | £0.22 |
| Wales | £0.24 |
| South East | £0.25 |
| London | £0.26 |
| North East | £0.28 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £0.31 |
| East of England | £0.40 |
| South West | £0.63 |
Furthermore, the research points to the fact that while within 21 local authority areas it is completely free to charge EVs using council-owned charge points, drivers in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Cotswold council areas were found to be charged up to £4.00/kWh.
| Council | Cost to charge p/kWh using most expensive public charger available |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | £4.00 (ultra-rapid) |
| Cotswold | £4.00 (fast) |
| Harrogate | £3.50 (rapid) |
| Uttlesford | £3.30 (rapid) |
| Cotswold | £3.10 (rapid) |
In addition to what the supplier described as “location discrimination,” British Gas also noted the extra costs faced by those without the ability to charge at home. For example to charge from empty to full at the country’s most expensive council-owned chargers would cost drivers £240, based on average battery capacities. The same car would cost just £3.90 to charge at home using a dedicated off-peak EV tariff.
Lucy Simpson, head of EV enablement at British Gas, said: “The latest figures released today demonstrate the need for all UK councils to play their part in supporting the transition to electric vehicles.
“Currently, we have 21 progressive councils that have decided to support local EV adoption so we would expect a greater uptake of EVs to come through in these areas than in councils where it is expensive to charge.
“If charging doesn’t become more accessible in these areas, we could see a slower rate of adoption.”
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