Research undertaken by Ipsos Mori has identified a number of misunderstandings surrounding EV ownership and charging at home, says leading smart charging company Ohme.

With sales of new EVs up 48.8 per cent so far in 2022, Ohme is happy to clarify a number of popular myths to do with running an EV.

“Running an EV is undoubtedly a big change for many drivers, but our experience is that it can often be a hugely positive one – as Ohme has found as the official charger provider for Motability,” explains David Watson, Ohme CEO. “With household finances under increasing pressure, there’s never been a more important time for new, existing and future EV drivers to improve their awareness of the new technology.”

The top four myths about EV ownership:

Myth: The installation of an EV charger is too expensive
Truth: Some leasing and hire companies like Octopus Electric Vehicles provide a bundled package that include the cost of a new charger with a new EV. Energy supplier Jersey Electricity includes the price of an Ohme Home Pro charger as a package within some of its monthly electricity plans.

Myth: The installation of an EV charger is too complicated
Truth: Before fitting your Ohme charger, we ask you to complete a short online home survey including the location of your fuseboard and the ideal location for your charger. In the majority of cases, fitting a charger to your home is a fast and simple process. The most common reasons for it taking slightly longer can include if your parking space is not directly next to your home, if it’s a long distance from the fuseboard to the charger or your existing electrical supply needs upgrading.

Myth: Charging at home will rely more on fossil fuels than at public chargers
Truth: Ohme’s smart chargers offer drivers the option to charge their cars when renewable energy generation on the National Grid is at its highest. It obviously also depends on your choice of energy supplier, but all of Octopus Energy’s electricity tariffs are 100 per cent green. Octopus Energy Generation is one of Europe’s largest investors in renewable power, managing 300-plus UK green energy producers.

Myth: Smart charging is unnecessary, I’ll get a cheaper charging rate overnight for my EV automatically no matter what tariff I’m on.
Truth: Charging your EV at home will almost always be cheaper than charging it at a public charger, but to maximise those savings you should make sure that you’re on a special EV tariff such as Octopus Go or Octopus Intelligent. These EV-specific tariffs will enable you to get the cheapest possible rates by charging your electric vehicle overnight and reducing your running costs considerably.