What’s all the hype around electric cars?

If you’re new to the world of electric cars – first off welcome to the club! Secondly, it might seem like there is so much to learn, but if you have any questions about electric cars, we have a blog post where we answer the most frequently asked questions about all things electric vehicle (EV) charging related, so it might be worth having a read (after this blog though!).

Did you know that according to Next Green Car, there were over 164,100 pure-electric cars on UK roads at the end of September 2020? This is incredible news for the EV charging industry as all these cars are going to need to be charged somehow! In fact, Next Green Car also estimated that there are 34,360 electric car charging points in the UK as of October 2020 so it looks like we’ll be installing many more of these in the future.

What are the benefits of electric cars?

There are so many different benefits of electric vehicles; from a smoother ride to saving the planet, there are lots of reasons you should consider the investment today. Since we became Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV, previously OLEV) approved, we’re often asked about the benefits of electric cars, so we wanted to let you know what they are.

Here are just a few of the benefits:

• Investing in an electric car will save you money over time. On average, a single 100-mile trip in an electric car will cost you less than a petrol equivalent. Direct Line Insurance worked out that annually, a petrol car costs £824 to run, but an EV costs just £343 to charge. Hybrid cars can also save you money on fuel costs too, as they use roughly 30% less fuel per mile than conventional cars.
• They’re known for being great to drive as the electric acceleration means they’re quieter overall (perfect for when you have a sleeping baby in the backseat). According to Clean Technica, a 2015 study of 3,300 individuals found that exposure to residential road traffic noise increases the risk of depressive symptoms. This means that driving an EV could reduce the impact of negative traffic noise on your life.

This graph shows the total noise, type/road-noise, and propulsion noise of the average internal combustion engine (ICE) car. Source: Lykke Silent Urban Driving

• The charging technology needed to support electric cars is constantly advancing, with really efficient chargers that can help you get driving in no time. According to INews, the Government has plans to ensure that all UK motorway service stations have super-fast EV chargers by 2023. These super speedy chargers can deliver around 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes (amazing right?!)
• Switching to an electric car can help you to make savings for your company or business. This is because there are government incentives available to help others make the switch to more sustainable transport such as the Plug-In grant. These include key tax benefits and grants available for businesses who choose to opt for EVs and electric car chargers.

What are the steps of installing an electric car charger?

First things first, this is a job that’s best to leave to the experts (also known as our talented team). But if you’re interested in knowing what you can expect by choosing us to install your EV charger, keep reading:

• Firstly, when you contact us, we’ll book in a site survey so we can give you a free quote and consultation. Every installation is different and that’s why we create a bespoke quotation for every job to provide the best value for you rather than a mass-market solution that might not cater to your needs.
• Next, if you choose to go ahead with us we’ll arrange a time that suits you to book the installation in our diaries.
• Then, a member of our team will arrange their arrival time in advance (we’re nothing if not organised!).
• We’ll help you to choose the best position for your electric car charger based on a combination of your power supply and where you like to park your car. Engineers have to follow a few installation regulations. This might affect where you can put the charger in your house. You can thank us for this later when charging your car is hassle-free rather than a logistical nightmare.
• We’ll start by positioning and fixing the charger to the wall. Once we’ve done this, we’ll turn the power supply off for a few minutes (for safety reasons) while installing the Residual Current Breaker with Over-Current and then connect it to the main supply.
• After that, we’ll do our final safety tests and make sure that your home charger is safe and working correctly.
• We’ll take the time to give you a full demonstration of how to use it and answer any questions.
• Finally, we’ll just need your Wi-Fi password (so make sure you have it handy) to complete the setup.

It’s as simple as that! The best part is that you can leave the legwork to us. Once you have your charger installed, you’ll be able to charge your electric car at night when you’re not using it so it’s ready and raring to go in the morning.

Is there anything I need to do beforehand?

If you want to avoid any surprises on the day, it’s good to share as much information as you can with our team ahead of time.

On the day we’re due to arrive, it would be great if you can make sure the area we need to access is clear and clutter-free. It’s also important to make sure that the space between the charge point and your electricity supply meter is clear as this is where a cable will be fitted to connect the two.

This just helps us to get the job done as speedily and efficiently as possible so that you can get on with your day!

Our team can install the Zappi charger alongside many other charger types. You’re more than welcome to source whichever charger you like and we can install them for you if you would prefer.

There you have it

It’s a quick and easy process to have your electrical car charger installed at your home or workplace. It’s still a job that needs to be left to a qualified expert, but that’s where our team comes in.

Hopefully, this blog post has informed you about the financial and environmental benefits of having an electric car charger installed and investing in EV technology along with what you can expect from the process itself.

If you’re looking to have an electric car charger installed, just get in touch with us today and we’ll offer you a free quote and consultation to talk you through the process.

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