Should you be worried about range anxiety in 2024?
The answer may surprise you...
What is range anxiety?
Are you reluctant to switch to an electric vehicle due to fear of running out of charge on the road? This is known as range anxiety, a term prevalent in the EV industry and one of the main psychological barriers customers face when investing in an electric vehicle (EV).
When electric vehicles entered the mainstream market, range anxiety used to be an issue. However, with the exponential development of the EV space and significant improvements made to electric vehicles, is it still a valid issue today?
Although understandable, the reality is that range anxiety may not apply to all businesses in the present day. Here are two reasons why:
EV range has increased
As the demand for electric vehicles increased, so did the investments in increasing EV range. Even though range does vary from vehicle to vehicle, it has increased significantly over the years.
For instance, the Nissan Leaf originally had a range of 109 miles when it was released in 2011, which was considered sufficient at the time. Compared to Tesla’s latest Model Y which boasts an impressive 319 miles, it’s clear to see the vast development of EVs in the past decade.
Additionally, the average electric car range in the UK is 219 miles. This is more than sufficient for everyday use considering that the average car journey in the UK is 8.4 miles. Longer journeys will require more planning to account for charge point availability, similar to refuelling in a petrol or diesel vehicle.
Charging infrastructure has improved
Secondly, charging infrastructure has improved drastically. There are now over 43,500 EV charge points across over 25,000 locations in the UK, a significant amount when compared to the approximate 7,000 petrol stations.
The number of charge points will only increase because of large EV infrastructure projects planned. The UK government’s £450 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund is being used to aid projects such as EV hubs and on-street charging solutions to ease regional inequalities in charge point availability. Furthermore, a £20 million pilot scheme will see 1,000 new charge points installed in areas where infrastructure is lacking the most. This will provide drivers with consistency and confidence, knowing they’re never too far from a charge point.
Is range anxiety still an issue?
Large businesses that are transitioning their fleets to EVs may still experience range anxiety, particularly if their drivers need to cover long distances. Barriers such as increased charge time and disparity in charge point locations need to be accounted for, but they shouldn’t completely prevent your business from switching.
There are some solutions that can be implemented to address these concerns:
- Use EV smartphone apps to plan long journey routes based on nearby charge points
- Install home charge points for your employee’s convenience, allowing them to charge their EV overnight. This will provide peace of mind that their vehicle will always be fully charged by the morning
- Invest in on-road charge cards, so employees can access over 11,000 charge points in the UK, including rapid chargers. This is great for fleets needing time efficiency when charging.
With the increasing range of EVs and the growing number of charge points, range anxiety should not hold businesses back from making the switch to electric. With a little planning and small changes to driving habits, EV drivers can make their EV charge last longer and overcome range anxiety.
Still got questions? We have answers! Visit our insights hub for more EV guides, or get in touch with the Radius Charge team who will be more than happy to help.
