Electric Vehicle Mythbusting

We have collated some of the most common myths about electric cars to hopefully help you make the switch to an EV;

Myth # 1 – “Electric cars are too expensive”.

In our 2023 survey, 41% of drivers polled felt that EVs were too expensive – and while it is true to say that EVs are more expensive to lease or buy than their petrol cousins, the top two reasons for drivers selecting an EV through a Salary Sacrifice car scheme were affordability and tax efficiencies.

Taking an EV through a salary sacrifice scheme means that you can make both income tax and National Insurance savings (as the monthly amount is taken from gross salary). The scheme does mean that Benefit in Kind (company car tax) is due, but this is only 2% of the vehicle list price for EVs.

It is also widely accepted that the running costs of an EV are far lower than a petrol car (there are less parts to maintain), and the cost of ‘filling up’ is lower with electricity compared to petrol. This is especially true if you can charge your car at home (which 60% of the UK driving population are able to) – even if you can’t charge at home, if you look at the overall cost of running an EV, compared to a petrol car, the ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ is invariably lower for an EV – despite its higher sticker price.

Myth # 2 – “I can’t go far in an electric car before I need to charge it”.

Yes, you can! On average the respondents in our latest survey thought the typical EV goes 125 miles before it needs to be charged. However, the average quoted range for EVs in UK in 2023 is 219 miles – and if you just look at the new vehicles to market in 2023, the figure increases to nearly 300 miles. The longest-range vehicles on the market now cover nearly 450 miles on a single charge.

Our survey confirmed that 82% of drivers did less than 200 miles in a week, and only 3% did over 100 miles every day. These driving distances are well within the ‘range’ of every single EV on the market and in most cases, you may only need to charge your car once a week, or even less.

For those doing high mileages, we should be taking a break after driving that distance anyway, so pull up at a charging location and plug into a rapid charger, have a coffee and within 20 minutes your car could be 80% charged.

Myth # 3 – “Charging an electric car takes such a long time”.

Not always! Depending on where you charge, it could take as little as 20 minutes. There are four main types of electric charging points – ultra-rapid, rapid, fast and slow. Ultra-rapid chargers are the quickest way to charge (100Kw-350Kw) and are usually found on motorway service stations or close to main roads. These are the chargers that could take your car up to 80% charge in as little as 20 minutes depending on your car model. Fast chargers are usually rated at either 7Kw or 22Kw and are a better charging option for when you are at a location for a longer period of time (home, work, hotel, restaurant, cinema, supermarket etc). In these instances, there is no need for a super quick charge so it is better to take the slower, cheaper charge. Typically, most home chargers that are installed are fast chargers, with 7Kw of power.

Finally there are slow charging points that have a power rating of 3.6 Kw (that’s your 3 pin plug). Charging times vary but typically will be 6-12 hours, which is usually done overnight.

Putting the right types of charge speeds in the right locations is a key element of developing the charging infrastructure. Ultra-rapid chargers are not necessary in locations where the car spends hours ‘sleeping’ and slow chargers will be no use to anyone on the motorways where the driver needs to be on their way quickly.

A useful tip to effectively charge your car is to think a little differently compared to how you currently ‘refuel’ your petrol car. In this instance, you notice you are running a little low on fuel and pull over to top up your tank, i.e. you are reactive. With an EV, it is a good idea to ‘charge when you stop, rather than stop to charge’. With this slightly different mindset to EV driving, you are factoring in a charge to a stop you would have made anyway – and the best time to charge an EV is when it’s doing nothing.  These downtimes are great  opportunities to charge and you will find that charging your car takes no extra time at all.

Myth # 4 – “There aren’t enough public charging points”.

Almost two thirds of people said they wouldn’t choose an electric car because they worried about the number of charging points. However, the number of available public charging points is constantly increasing. Over the past 4 years the number of public charge points has nearly trebled, and in the past 12 months alone, its increased by 40%. The number is constantly increasing and according to our partner, Zap-map, there are currently more than 72,500 chargers at 26,800 locations across the UK – with 2,000 new ones added in the last month.

Using Apps like zap-map.com, simply search by your postcode, or where you want to travel, and all the charging points in that area will show on the map. You may be surprised at how many there are around you that you didn’t know of. Some maps will also show whether the points are in use or out of order allowing you to plan ahead for your journey.

Interestingly, compared to the 26,800 EV charging locations, there are only around 8,300 petrol stations – less than a third of the amount of EV charging locations, and this doesn’t include over 500,000 who charge their EV at home, and 75,000 workplaces who have installed charging points for their employees to use.

The charging infrastructure continues to grow at pace, with significant investment from both the Government and the private sector.

Zap-map Route Planner

Myth # 5 – “There’s very little choice”.

This may have been the case a few years ago. Back in 2013/2014 you would only really have 3 or 4 models to choose from (Leaf / Zoe / BMW i3), but in 2023, the EV landscape is a very different place. Now, 39 vehicle manufacturers are selling a whopping 197 different models of EV, in a staggering 794 different derivatives and battery sizes.

EVs now come in all shapes and sizes, from supermini to hatchback, saloon to estate and SUV. There is even an all-electric pick-up truck on sale in the UK. There really is an electric car out there for all lifestyles. And the choice continues to broaden. A full 32 manufacturers are launching at least one new EV model in the UK in 2023 alone – keep your eye out for some interesting new manufacturers coming to the UK for the first time, as well as all of your favourite manufacturers.

Myth # 6 – “I can’t charge at home”.

Broadly speaking, around 60% of the UK driving population has a driveway and could charge their EV at home overnight – a bit like having your own petrol station attached to the side of your house.

For the 40% that can’t charge at home – perhaps they live in a terraced house or flat – this does not mean they can’t have an EV. It just requires it to be charged somewhere else. This may be at work, or on the kerb where you leave the car overnight, at your local gym, perhaps a quick trip to Costa or McDonald’s for a quick charge once a week, or by the roadside for the longer journeys. You can even book onto your neighbour’s charger if they are not using it and are happy for you to pay them for the electricity.

There are now so many charging options to suit all methods of living – it just requires a little thought to develop the charging strategy that works for you.

And with over 82% of drivers we polled doing less than 200 miles a week and average EV ranges between 219 and 300 miles per charge, it is likely that you will need to charge far less than you thought, maybe only once a fortnight. Not that different to your trips to the petrol station – just cheaper.

Myth # 7 – “The battery will only last 2 years – just like my mobile phone”.

It’s understandable to think this, if your only experience of rechargeable batteries is your mobile phone or your toothbrush – but the battery in an EV lasts way longer than that. Most manufacturers offer a battery warranty of 8 years, or 100,000 miles. That demonstrates the confidence they have in the battery probably outlasting the rest of the car.

EV batteries are outlasting even the boldest predictions from the early days of EV driving, with many performing perfectly well 10-15 years, or 250,000 miles later.

After that the battery may have done its job in your car, but it still has plenty of life left to enjoy a second useful life as an energy storage unit for storing solar energy (either domestic or commercial). In this second life it may well perform for another 15 years before it gives up – so that’s 25-30 years of life.

And then over 95% of the component parts of the battery are recycled for use in future EVs.

Myth # 8 – “The National Grid won’t cope with all these EVs, and we will have blackouts”.

Mass adoption of electric vehicles has been coming for a long time and the National Grid are very well prepared for the increased use.

They state that energy usage in the UK has fallen by 16% in the last 20 years, as we move to more energy efficient lights and white goods in our homes.

In the entirely hypothetical situation that everyone plugs their EV in at exactly the same time, they estimate this would cause an additional 10% demand on the grid – not even the usage levels that were comfortably managed 20 years ago.

It is true to say that certain localised areas may need an upgrade to accommodate extremely high electricity usage (eg lots of rapid chargers at motorway services), but it is also worth bearing in mind that, with 60% of EV drivers charging at home overnight, the move to EV is also helping to balance demands on the Grid over a 24 hour period.

So, it’s not just how much electricity there is, but when its used.

Myth # 9 – “They catch fire”.

The newspapers sometimes like to publish reports of EV batteries catching fire, but the reality is that an EV is significantly (up to 50 times) less likely to catch fire than a petrol car.

EVs contain sophisticated Battery Management Systems (BMSs) that act to cool the battery when it gets hot, and warm it when it gets cold. The BMS has significantly reduced any risk of battery fire – although it would be wrong to say that it NEVER happens.

Batteries, like petrol tanks, don’t like excessive heat (has your phone switched off when you’ve had it on the beach and it’s got hot?), but the BMS plays a very important role in managing any heat near the battery.

In the very rare cases that a battery does catch fire, the fire services are well trained to handle the different issues presented to them with such instances.

Perhaps the best reassurance that EVs are safe from fire is that many of the UK fire services have electric vehicles in their own fleet.

Myth # 10 – “They are not safe”.

Any make of vehicle sold in the UK must undergo rigorous safety testing, through an organisation called Euro NCAP. They crash cars to test them for safety to the driver, passengers and surrounding pedestrians. EVs are no exception to this.

Euro NCAP measure the safety of cars on a Star basis, with 5 stars being the top mark. EVs regularly achieve the top 5* mark, indeed 7 of the top 10 tested cars in 2022 were electric. Why not check the Euro NCAP website to look at the safety rating of the car you are interest in?

Myth # 11 – “They are too slow”.

Definitely not true! In fact, it’s the opposite. People who drive an EV for the first time are regularly surprised about how quick and responsive they are. This is because the power from the battery to the motor is delivered instantly – a bit like when you press the trigger on your electric drill. There are no gears to work through, so you have a very responsive reaction when you put your foot on the accelerator.

The levels of power delivered through EVs are significantly higher than combustion engine vehicles so if speed is your thing (within legal limits of course), EVs will definitely deliver that for you.

Myth # 12 – “Using the windscreen wipers / headlights / radio / USB ports will drain my battery and I’ll run out of charge”.

This is a very common misconception among non-EV drivers, and we are very happy to dispel it for you.

EVs have two batteries – a high voltage one that powers the car (as an engine does), and a lower 12v battery that powers all of the ancillary electrics in the car, like radio, headlights, USB ports etc. Because all of these ancillary electrics are not powered by the main battery, they have a negligible impact on the vehicle’s range. How much is negligible? Using headlights for an hour would take about 0.4 miles off your range, Radio? 0.2 miles per hour of use.

As with petrol cars, air conditioning and fan heaters do take energy to use, but not as much as you may be led to believe. Aircon for an hour would take about 7-10 miles off your range, and fan heaters about 5-6 miles.

Interestingly, almost all EVs come with heated seats and heating steering wheels, and these are powered by the lower voltage battery – taking only 0.1-0.3 miles pee hour off your range.

Myth # 13 – “You can’t drive them in the rain as everybody knows electricity and water are dangerous”.

Again, a common misconception as we are all taught that electricity and water don’t mix. But any high voltage element of an EV (the battery) is surrounded by extensive protection and cut-off devices to render them completely safe in any weather conditions.

For complete reassurance on this, Euro NCAP would not allow any vehicle that presented a risk to be launched in the UK, let alone award them 5 stars for safety.

So, you can be confident that you can take your EV anywhere, in all weather.

Myth # 14 – “You can’t take them through a car wash”.

As above, the high voltage battery is so well protected from any exposure to water that it is perfectly safe to take an EV through a car wash.

Myth # 15 – “You can’t drive an EV if you have a pacemaker fitted, due to the high levels of electromagnetic interference from high power chargers”.

Of course, if you have any specific medical concerns before driving an EV, these should be checked out by your doctor, but according to the European Society of Cardiology, “ patients with cardiac devices can be reassured that charging electric cars with high power chargers is safe. The risk of malfunction of pacemakers and defibrillators is extremely low in this situation. Sitting inside the car or standing next to the charging cable or charger is also safe.”

Myth # 15 – “EVs are less environmentally friendly than petrol/diesel vehicles because of the carbon footprint required to manufacture the battery”.

It is true that an EV has a higher carbon footprint in its manufacture than a petrol diesel car, due to the making (and mining for the materials) of the battery.

Once you are driving, there are no emissions from the tailpipe (there is no tailpipe!) so the EV starts to catch up on the carbon footprint of its petrol counterpart the more it is driven. Research has shown that at around 15-20,000 miles of driving, the overall carbon footprint of driving electric becomes greener than a petrol car.

How quickly you reach this tipping point depends on how ‘green’ the electricity is that charges your car. If it is predominantly from renewable sources (wind/solar/hydro) you will reach the tipping point much quicker, but even if you generate electricity from burning fossil fuels such as coal, the EV will still catch up with a petrol car’s carbon footprint.

For information, the UK National Grid currently generates over 44% of its energy from renewable sources (which is improving year on year) and only 2.2% from coal.

In addition to the overall carbon footprint of an EV being greener than combustion engines, a clear advantage of the EV is in the improvement of air quality by not burning fuel and emitting poisonous gases through the exhaust.

Poor air quality accounted for 40,000 deaths in the UK in 2022, compared to just 1,700 from road traffic accidents – so the improvement in air quality from driving electric should also be factored into any environmental comparison of EV vs Petrol/diesel.

Myth # 16 – “Electricity costs more than petrol to fill the car up”.

This depends on where you charge, and how much you pay for your electricity. For the 60% of drivers who charge at home, this may provide running costs of around 8 pence per mile. If you have a smart energy tariff at home, which offers cheaper electricity at night, this figure can reduce to under 2 pence per mile. This compares to around 14-20 pence per mile for petrol and diesel.

If a driver can’t charge at home and relies on public charging, this is more expensive and may be closer to the price of petrol (especially with current energy prices) but taking a car under a Salary Sacrifice scheme will usually deliver significant savings on the financing of the car. For many this will outweigh any additional cost from public charging vs petrol, and for the majority of EV drivers who charge at home, it provides a ‘double-win’ – with cheaper ‘fuel’ and cheaper vehicle financing.

Myth # 17 – “You can’t tow anything in an EV”.

Not the case, I’m afraid. There are now many EVs on sale in the UK that can tow – whether this is a caravan, horse box, trailer or any other use case. While not every make of EV is set up to tow, it is not unusual to see EVs able to weights of between 1600Kg and 2500Kg.

In case you were wondering, the average weight of a caravan in the UK is 800kg-1300kg for 2-4 berth, and 1300kg-1800kg for a 4-6 berth.

As with fuel efficiency when towing with your petrol vehicle, you can expect a drop in range when you tow additional weight (that takes more energy regardless of your vehicle is powered)

Myth # 18 – “EV drivers are always running out of charge”.

Not true – Of all the callouts on EVs the AA attended in 2022, less than 2% were for drivers running out of charge. It has never been a high figure, but with ever increasing ranges on EVs and an ever-growing charging infrastructure, it really is very rare for an EV driver to run out of charge.

A small amount of journey planning to determine where to charge before setting out on a long journey can alleviate almost all cases of ‘range anxiety’ – a state of mind typically raised by non-EV drivers, but hardly ever from those who are used to driving electric.

Myth # 19 – “If you can’t charge at home, EVs won’t work for you”.

As with Myth #6, it is perfectly possible to run an EV if you can’t charge at home – it just requires a different charging strategy to work out which charging points work best for you without significantly changing your lifestyle habits.

The best time to charge a car is when it’s sat doing nothing – so if you can charge your car on the street while you’re sleeping, or charge at work, or while you are at the gym or supermarket, you will be able to keep your car charged up without compromising your lifestyle at all.

Even if none of these are an option for you, you may just need to pop to a rapid charger once a week, for 20 minutes, to give you over 150 miles of range while you grab a coffee.

Myth # 20 – “EVs don’t need servicing”.

While EVs may have a lot less parts that need maintaining or replacing than petrol vehicles, it is not true to say that they need no servicing at all.

Parts will still need checking, and items like pollen filters and battery coolant may need replacing at certain times.

Tyres and brake discs will also wear and need checking (and possibly replacing), but you should expect your brake discs and pads to last much longer in an EV, as you will have an additional method to slow the vehicle down that doesn’t use the discs and pads – known as regenerative braking.

All in all, while the vehicle will still need servicing, you will enjoy much lower servicing costs from your EV than your old petrol or diesel model.

Myth # 21 – “You can’t take an EV abroad as Europe has 2 pin plugs rather than 3 pin plugs for electricity”.

Not true – EV’s can not only be taken abroad but the charging infrastructure (especially in our neighbouring countries of France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and the rest of Western Europe) are just as extensive as in the UK (if not better)

You can take your EV on a ferry or through the Eurotunnel and enjoy miles and miles of wonderful driving on the continent. Charge connectors are standard internationally so if you want to charge overnight on a slower charger, you’ll use the same cable. If you want rapid charging by the roadside, you’ll find an extensive network of chargers.

Apps like Plugshare, Chargefinder or A Better Route Panner will show you on a map where all the chargers are, how quick they are, how many connectors, whether they take contactless payment, whether they are in use and even whether you can grab a coffee and a bite to eat while your vehicle charges.

Myth # 22 – “You can’t recycle an EV battery and they will all end up in landfill”.

A battery may be in use (either in an EV or as an energy storage solution) for up to 30 years, but at some stage it will have had its day and be of no further use.

The battery recycling industry is still in its infancy, but this is not because it’s not possible – its because there are not yet enough batteries to recycle as most are still in use and outlasting their expected life.

Car manufacturers such as Volkswagen have already stated their intention to recycle over 95% of all of the components of their EV batteries.

There are two clear reasons why EV batteries won’t end up in landfill – First, its illegal, and second, there are so many valuable parts to the battery (Copper, Cobalt, Nickel, Lithium, Magnesium) that it makes little commercial sense to throw them way. All of these component parts can be reused in new batteries, reducing the need (and cost) of mining for new metals.

Myth # 23 – “You need at least 20 Apps and RFID cards to navigate the public charging network”.

This may have been true 10 years ago, but the EV charging world has moved on significantly since then. Now, although many apps and cards are available, the vast majority of charge points take contactless payment and do not require you to subscribe to an app to use them – just tap and go.

In reality, to successfully navigate the UK public charging network, all you really need is ONE app (such as zap-map) to tell you where all the chargers are, and one method of payment (bank card apple pay/google pay etc)

For travel in Scotland, it is advisable to have the Charge Scotland RFID card to ensure easy charging throughout the country.

Myth # 24 – “You’ll queue for hours at every public charging location”.

This is commonly touted by some newspapers, but in the overwhelming majority of cases, it is not true.

And with a very small amount of planning, you can make sure it doesn’t affect you – and some chargers are much busier than others – typically at motorway service stations. These locations are much more likely to experience a queue at the chargers. With a quick check on zap-map you are likely to find an alternative less than half a mile off your chosen route that is much less busy.

You can also filter your search on zap-map to only look at charging locations that have multiple chargers – 4, 6, 12 – even 32! At these locations, it is much less likely that you will have to queue, and even if you do it is only likely to be for a few minutes before someone moves on.

Myth # 25 – “EV Battery will lose range while I’m sat in traffic, and I’ll run out of charge”.

False – in fact EVs perform much better than petrol and diesel cars when they’re not moving. A combustion engine will still burn some fuel while it’s ‘idling’ but an EV uses hardly any energy when it’s not moving.

Some Tesla drivers have tested this out and left their car switched on for a full 12 hours to see how much range it lost, and the answer was just 2%. So, feel free to seek out the biggest traffic jam going – your EV will be fine.

Myth # 26 – “Breakdown providers aren’t equipped to deal with EVs”.

EVs break down, like any car, with the common reasons (as with petrol vehicles) being punctures and 12 Volt battery issues. The one difference between an EV and a petrol/ diesel car when it’s broken down is that the EV can’t be towed away with 2 of its wheels still on the road. The wheels are attached to the motor and dragging the car like this will damage the motor.

Myth # 27 – “There isn’t enough lithium to make all the batteries”.

Lithium may be classed as a ‘rare earth’ metal but is not scarce – the world has over 88 million tonnes of Lithium.

With extra demand from sectors such as Electric Vehicles, Phones, Laptops etc. the reliance on Lithium may continue, but developments in battery technology are exploring solutions that use less, or no lithium. Zinc and Sodium (both widely available and ethically extractable) are being developed as potential alternatives to Lithium.

In the shorter term, where Lithium will still be required, the UK has discovered significant quantities of Lithium in the former Tin and Copper mines of Cornwall – enough to power 500,000 EVs per year.

Myth # 28 – There’s too much reliance on Cobalt – which is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Cobalt has historically formed a key component part of any lithium-ion battery – whether that’s in an EV, a mobile phone, laptop or reusable toothbrush – it’s even used in the refining of oil to make petrol.

A large majority of the world’s cobalt reserves are in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a politically unstable country that has allowed unethical practices to mine rare earth metals such as Cobalt (and Gold).

New developments in battery technology are now removing all Cobalt – over half of the Tesla’s now being made contain no cobalt at all, and all EV manufacturers have also signed up to an organisation called Fair Cobalt Alliance. This ensures that any Cobalt they do use comes from ethical sources.

Myth # 29 – “They emit more particulates from the tyres and brakes because the car is heavier – so they’re not very environmentally friendly when you drive them.”

Particulates are the small bits of worn rubber that fall off the tyre as it wears out, and dust particles emitted from the brake discs when they’re used to slow the car down.

You may think that, because an EV is heavier (due to the battery weight) than a petrol car and therefore this would cause a quicker degrading of the tyres, but there is no evidence or data to suggest this – far more likely causes of tyre wear are the way the car is driven, tyre quality, tyre pressure and the road surface the car travels on.

Because of the additional method of slowing an EV down (Regenerative braking) there is an opportunity to use the conventional brakes far less. This not only extends their life but also means they emit far less particulate matter into the atmosphere than tyres on conventional vehicles.

Myth # 30 – “EVs don’t need an MOT”.

EVs are subject to the same regulations as all other cars on UK roads and DO require an MOT.

Myth # 31 – “Tyres wear out much quicker on an EV because it’s much heavier”

As with myth #29, it is commonly assumed that tyres on EVs wear out quicker because the vehicle is heavier. While the logic seems reasonable, the reality does not follow. It is quite normal for EV drivers to have a front set of tyres last over 20,000 miles and a rear set over 40,000 miles. Clearly, this will vary by model, but there is no evidence to back up the assumption that EV tyre wear is greater. How the car is driven, the quality of the tyre, the pressure of the tyre and the road surfaces driven on will be much more accountable reasons for tyre wear.

In addition, an EV driver seeking to maximise their range for longer journeys may choose to drive their vehicle a little more sympathetically to get the better range. A by-product of this smoother driving style will be an extended life for the tyres.

Myth # 32 – “EVs are causing car parks to collapse due to the increased weight”.

A classic myth put out by some national newspapers – there is absolutely zero evidence to substantiate the claim. In fact, checking this myth, NCP were contacted and confirmed that NO car parks have collapsed due to EVs, and NO car parks had banned EVs due to their weight.

The myth focuses on the fact that EVs are heavier and therefore will cause older structures to collapse. What the thought process fails to recognise is that cars, in general, are getting bigger and heavier. The UKs preference for SUVs, especially larger SUVs means heavier cars are becoming the norm. These larger SUVs (such as Land Rover/  Range Rover, BMWX5, VW Touareg, Audi Q5/Q7 Mercedes GLC/GLE) are all heavier than any EV currently on the road, and there are hundreds of thousands more of them than there are EVs.

Myth # 33 – “EVs are causing bridges to collapse due to the increased weight”.

See Myth #32, although in addition to the general trend towards larger SUVs, this myth conveniently fails to take into consideration all vans and trucks that cross the same bridges – all of which weigh significantly more than EVs, and there are many more of them on the roads.

Myth # 34 – “You need to take a different driving test to drive an EV”.

Not true – the rules of the road are exactly the same for EV drivers and the same test applies. In time, the theory test may be adjusted to reflect the greater proportion of drivers who will be driving EVs (effective use of Regenerative braking etc) but you’ll still have to “Mirror, signal, manoeuvre”.

Myth # 35 – “I’ll need to pay thousands to upgrade my electrics at home to have a home charger”.

If the wiring in your house is in reasonable order, it is likely that you will not need to upgrade it at all to have a home charger fitted to your wall. Most home chargers deliver power at around 7Kw – more or less the same as an electric shower. This is enough to charge an EV from empty to full overnight so is plenty and can typically run on ‘single phase’ electricity supply.

Myth # 36 – “EVs are only good for short trips/low mileage users – and you can’t do longer journeys in them.”

With ranges on EVs getting bigger and bigger, this is now less relevant than it has ever been. Journeys over 300 miles can be done without even stopping to charge. And if you are planning on travelling further than that, you would have needed to stop at some stage to break the journey – a 20-minute stop could another 200 miles into your battery.

It is not uncommon for a high mileage EV driver to cover upwards of 30,000 miles a year. With some extreme examples exceeding 50,000 miles per year.

Myth # 37 – “There are so many different types of connectors – it’s so confusing to know which one to use”?

As with your mobile phone, when you get your EV, you are given the cable that works with that car – almost all EVs use the same cable for AC charging (called a Type 2 Connector)

If you need to get a rapid charge, the cable is permanently attached to the chargepoint (like a petrol pump). You’ll have a choice of 2 at each location – one called CCS and one called Chademo (this is like a choice between a petrol pump and a diesel pump)

Over 95% of EVs on the road will use a CCS charger for rapid charger, and it’s fairly easy to work out which one this is – as one of the two cables will fit the charge port on your car, and the other won’t.

Myth # 38 – “EVs are causing more potholes due to their increased weight”.

See Myths #32 and #33 – A more likely explanation for potholes may be quality of road surface or degeneration through weather aspects like heat and frost.

The weight of an Electric Vehicle pales into insignificance compared to lorries, vans and larger SUV cars.

Myth # 39 – “Driving petrol and diesel cars is banned from 2035 so everyone will HAVE to drive EVs from that date.”

Not true – the UK government has banned the SALE of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2035. You can still drive your petrol or diesel car for as long as it lasts, and you can still buy used ones after 2035. It will be many many years before petrol and diesel vehicles are totally phased out.