Proportion of EV breakdowns due to running out of charge show sharp drop
The AA said just 2.1% of callouts it received from stranded EV drivers during the first five months of this year were for depleted batteries.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The proportion of electric vehicle breakdowns caused by running out of charge has fallen by nearly three-quarters since 2019, new figures show.
Just 2.1% of callouts received by the AA from stranded EV drivers in the UK during the first five months of this year were for depleted batteries.
That is down from 8.0% across the whole of 2019.
Charging anxiety does not match the reality
The AA partly attributed this to a spike in the number of public charging devices, with Zapmap figures showing the total has soared from 24,909 at the end of April 2022 to 42,566 a year later.
AA president Edmund King believes an increase in the number of domestic and workplace chargers is another reason for the drop in incidents of EVs running out of electricity.
The fear of running out of charge – often referred to as range anxiety or charging anxiety – has been cited as a key barrier to people switching to electric motoring.
Mr King, who will address the EV Infrastructure Summit in east London on Wednesday, said: “Our data on out of charge EVs clearly shows charging anxiety does not match the reality.
“The drop in out of charge breakdowns is a clear sign that range, infrastructure and education are improving.
“Of course, we need a concerted effort to continue the rollout of reliable and accessible charging to fill in the gaps and to address the problem for those that don’t have off-street parking to charge.”
He added: “There has never been a better time to buy a used EV as many prices have dropped dramatically in the last six months.
“Once the car has been purchased, the running and servicing costs tend to be much lower.”
Sales of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned in the UK from 2030.