Brighton is going electric – beat the crowds and get your electric vehicle charging point now with Williams Electrical Contractors
As green as we are in Brighton, we really haven’t tapped into the electric car market yet. The Argus reports that over the 2017-18 financial year, the number of registered plug-in vehicles in the area increased by 53 per cent, showing that is about to change. However, the actual figure of registered vehicles is still only 294, a tiny percentage of cars on Sussex’s roads.
Whether that number is down to a lack of charging points or a lack of knowledge about the huge environmental and cost benefits an electric car brings, we’re here to singlehandedly convert Brighton and surrounding areas into a lean, mean, electric car driving machine!
Read our ten reasons to switch to an electric car:
1. Electric car drivers do not pay road tax, as they don’t release any emissions
2. Electricity is far cheaper than petrol or diesel. Charging your electric car costs only 3pm per mile (as opposed to 10p-20p per mile in a petrol/diesel car)
3. Zero emissions – no combustion engine and no petrol means less pollution (carbon and particulate emissions)
4. The government covers up to 35% of the cost of an electric car up to £4,500 through an electric vehicle grant
5. Congestion charge exempt – if you travel to London, you’ll save yourself £21.50 per day. And when congestion charges are rolled out in Brighton,
you’ll be ahead of the game
6. Lower maintenance costs – there are far fewer moving parts in an electric car. Which means less can go wrong…less time in the garage….fewer
expensive component bills. Pure electric vehicles can expect to run for 300k miles without issue. No engine, no gearbox, no clutch, no cam belt, no
radiator, no starter motor, etc.,
7. You won’t need as many services, which saves more money. There is no oil, no combustion, fewer moving parts and regenerative braking which means you won’t need to fork out as much on services and MOTs
8. Better performance and reliability –effortless acceleration. The high practical and affordable Nissan Leaf has a 3-second 0-30 time. They feel
much faster too, due to effortless and silent foot-to-floor acceleration
9. Quick charging times – approx. 30 minutes for a 70-90 mile range at a standard public charging point. And even faster if you have a charging point
installed at your own home and simply plug your car in to charge overnight.
10. Climate control – Unlike an ICE car an EV does not require a running engine to generate heat. As a result it is possible to remotely programme your
car to pre-heat in winter, meaning that before you get into it to drive to work, it is fully defrosted and toasty warm – no more ice scraping again. This can all be done without unlocking the car or leaving it running – it just does it.
Electric Car Ownership Growth
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders have recorded an 800% increase in electric car registrations in the last 3 years, with 3% of all new vehicle registrations being for an EV, totally 2% of all cars on the road presently.
The UK Committee on Climate Change forecast a 1000% increase in EV ownership over the next 2 years, leading to 1.2 million electric cars on our roads by 2020, which is 13% of all cars on the road. The Government schemes aiming to get drivers into electric cars will not be around forever and the amount you can get may start to decrease as the number of electric cars on the road increases and becomes the norm.
What grants am I eligible for?
In addition to the electric vehicle grants available to help drivers cover up to 35% of the cost of an electric car up to £4,500. The Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV)have launched schemes to cover up to 75% of the cost and associated installation costs of electric vehicle charging points in both domestic and business premises.
Find out more about the schemes available and how they benefit electric vehicle owners.
The Electric Vehicle Home Charge Scheme
The electric vehicle home charge scheme (EVHS) is a scheme that provides a grant funding of up to 75% up to £500 towards the cost of having an electric vehicle charging point installed in your home. These funds are claimed on your behalf by us here at Williams Electrical Contractors
once the job is complete – so there’s no need to mess around with any paperwork or forms.
The scheme covers one charging point per eligible vehicle with a maximum of two charging points per household – meaning you can get up to £1000 off your total bill.
Check your Eligibility
There are a few conditions to be eligible to take advantage of this rewarding grant:
- You must own an eligible vehicle – and be able to provide proof of ownership.
- You must have purchased said vehicle on or after 1 st April 2015.
- You have not claimed against any previous domestic charge point schemes.
- The vehicle should not be valued at more than £60,000.
- You must be a UK resident.
In addition, you will be able to claim the grant for the charge point if you have been assigned an eligible company vehicle for at least 6 months, or you have been leasing an eligible vehicle for 6 months. If you are unsure of your eligibility for the scheme please contact us or OLEV.
How much does charging an electric car at home cost?
Electric vehicles, on the whole, are a lot cheaper to run and maintain in comparison to their petrol and diesel counterparts. In your home – charging your electric car (dependant on your tariff) will cost a fraction in comparison to regular fuel:
- Approximately £3.00-£5.00 for a full charge dependant on your tariff, time of day and vehicle.
- This equates to around 2-3 pence per mile, again dependant on your vehicle range and use.
- Based on the UK average mileage of 7,900 miles, this equates to £158 – £237.
- This is a saving of almost £400 even when compared to a reasonably fuel efficient petrol car.
The Workplace Charging Scheme
The workplace charging scheme is set up to encourage workplaces to adopt charging points at their business premises for employee use – the intention of this scheme is to see more workers adopting low-emission forms of transport.
The scheme is voucher based and businesses will be eligible for up to £300 per socket up to a maximum of 20 sockets (10 double sockets). Any business, charity or public authority is eligible to claim through this scheme so long as they have dedicated off-street parking for staff or fleet use.
To apply, simply fill out the workplace charging scheme online application form. You will then be emailed a voucher code if successful that is valid for 4 months – you can present this to claim your money off.
Benefits of having an EV Charging Point in your business premises
There could be over 250,000 EV drivers on the roads by 2020, being early adopters of this scheme can hold many benefits for you as a business:
- Higher employee satisfaction rates – EV charging points can be considered ‘perks of the job’ and will go down well with your employees that are EV drivers.
- Company values – Investing in low emission technologies displays your commitment to the environment as a company.
- RFID tag – You can issue employees with a RFID tag/card to use the charging point – this tag makes it possible to automatically charge employees or visitors for use of the charging point.
- Benefits customers – Visitors to your business are likely to visit and stay longer if they have a place to charge their vehicle.
Have a charging point installed in your home or business today
Join us on our mission to get Brighton to go electric! Sign up to the scheme now and be one of the first installers in Brighton at your home or office. Williams Electrical Contractors have been operating in Brighton and Sussex for over ten years and we’re proud to be NCEIC approved and Which? Trusted Traders.
Just contact us and we’ll give you a free quote and initial design assessment of the installation point. Make the change to an electric car today and save money and the environment.
