New research revealed by a national renewable energy supplier has found that Oxford is the sixth most prepared city in the UK for the predicted rise in electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads, with the costs of running this type of vehicle set to equate to the same cost of running a standard internal combustion engine car by 2021.
The figures, revealed by Tonik Energy, compared the number of full driving license holders in each UK postcode area to the number of publicly available charging points according to online charging point platform Zap-Map in each location, to determine which areas of the UK were most ready for the EV revolution in the next couple of years.
Sunderland was found to be the most prepared city in the rankings, with its 87 available charging points equating to 1,460 license holders per charger. The rest of the top three was completed with Milton Keynes (1,487) and Dundee (1,635) following closely behind.
At the other end of the spectrum, Portsmouth was found to be the city least ready for the impending rise of EVs on the roads, with just 11 public charging points available to cater for the more than half a million drivers in the PO postcode area, working out to about one charger per 32,288 license holders. Just ahead was Shrewsbury (20,698) and Derby (17,037), indicating that local councils across the country need to step up their efforts to ensure the infrastructure in place to allow residents to feel confident enough to purchase an EV and not run out of charge on a journey.
The top ten most prepared cities - based on the number of license holders per charger - were as follows:
Sunderland - 1,460 license holders per charger
Milton Keynes - 1,487 license holders per charger
Dundee - 1,635 license holders per charger
Greater London - 2,227 license holders per charger
Manchester - 2,822 license holders per charger
Oxford - 3,620 license holders per charger
Leeds - 3,734 license holders per charger
Cambridge - 4,472 license holders per charger
Nottingham - 4,660 license holders per charger
Glasgow - 4,808 license holders per charger
The top ten least prepared cities - based on the number of license holders per charger - were as follows:
Portsmouth - 32,288 license holders per charger
Shrewsbury - 20,698 license holders per charger
Derby - 17,037 license holders per charger
Stoke-on-Trent - 17,000 license holders per charger
Cardiff - 16,379 license holders per charger
Sheffield - 14,555 license holders per charger
Hull - 14,284 license holders per charger
Gloucester - 14,052 license holders per charger
Birmingham - 11,894 license holders per charger
Exeter - 10,613 license holders per charger
Chris Russell, Managing Director at Tonik Energy, said:
“With the cost of electric vehicles falling all the time and the rise in UK residents wanting to make their lives as ethical and eco-friendly as possible, we are already noticing a significant rise in attention towards EVs. Given the estimation that the cost of running an EV will match that of a standard car in the next couple of years, we only envisage demand to rise further.
“It’s great to see areas such as Oxford paving the way for the rise in EVs on our roads, this is a great example of how local councils can prepare for the increase in the amount of EVs on our roads.
“One of the main barriers to purchasing one of these vehicles is the fear of running out of charge on a long journey so it’s crucial that all councils recognise the need to invest in publicly available charging points.”
To see a full list of UK rankings from this research, visit: www.tonikenergy.com/is-your-city-ready-for-electric-vehicles/
