Slowly but surely, the electric car revolution is underway and in the future, we will see all-electric cars dominate the roads. We are beginning to see this with the fall of diesel in 2017 and this can be attributed, in part, due to the Government’s proposed 2040 ban on the sale of petrol and diesel.
Incentives and Hurdles
As a result of this, more and more motorists are making the switch to electric cars. There are many great incentives for making the switch, including lower running costs and Government grants, but some motorists are still hesitant. One of the primary concerns that people have is the supposed lack of charging points and the lengthy charging times. However, the charging infrastructure is rapidly expanding, and it is thought that charging points will outnumber petrol stations by 2020.
Charging Times
In terms of charging times, it is true that many models take a long time to charge and this can make planning trips more of a challenge. How long depends on the size of the battery and the charging point, but a typical electric car will take 4 hours to charge from a 7kW charging point. One company that is looking to break the mold and edge the competition is Jaguar, who recently revealed that their anticipated I-Pace electric car will charge in just 45 minutes.
It is hoped that when the car hits the roads, the UK will have 100kW chargers that will enable motorists to rapidly charge their vehicle. This is likely, as Chargemaster (who operate roughly 45% of the national charging point network) are looking to install 150kW chargers soon.
I-Pace Stats
The impressive I-Pace has a 90kW battery with an output of 396bhp – this gives it an impressive 0-62 time of just 4 seconds. Additionally, it is said to be capable of 310 miles on one charge and, when combined with the fast charging time, this will make planning trips simple and stress-free. Motorpoint, one of the UK’s biggest dealerships for selling Jaguar, will be responding to this news by considering how electric cars fit into their plans going forward.
The electric car revolution is gathering momentum and Jaguar have now laid down a marker to other manufacturers with their impressive I-Pace and its rapid charging time. If other brands can begin to offer charging times with similar speeds and the infrastructure continues to grow, it will not be long until electric cars are dominating the roads.
