The unexpected problem with charging electric vehicles on a long journey and why it made me blow my top

If there’s one thing we are famous for in this country, it’s queuing. It comes automatically to us. If we all want the same thing at the same time and there is only one place to get it - we form an orderly queue. It’s almost sub-conscious - we just get in line and wait.

Well - most of us do. There are some among us who don’t believe in queuing. Ok, none of us actually BELIEVE in queuing - it’s not a faith - there are no churches built to it, there is no holy book dedicated to its worship or songs of praise to standing in a line. If we are honest with ourselves - we all hate it. But we also all know it’s a necessary evil if fairness is to rule in the world.

So when someone comes along and breaks the queuing sacrament - it infuriates us to our very bones. Being British, we often don’t say anything, just glare and hope our staring eyes will burn two holes right into the heart of their consciousness. We wish karma upon them in kind, while quietly seething. A few rolled eyes or quiet mutterings exchanged with fellow cheated queuees will help to soothe the anger a little - but the damage is done - the pact of the queue is broken - the world will never be the same again. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here ^[1].

If that queue costs you seconds, a few minutes at most - it’s still blood boil-inducing. Any longer, and the sense of injustice quickly becomes hotter than the surface of the sun.

And that’s exactly how I felt during an experience waiting to charge my electric vehicle at a motorway services

I took ownership of my new electric car last year - and you can read about my first few months with it here ^[4]. Generally, you can divide EV ownership up into two halves. Motoring around in your local area, especially if you have a home charger, is just a dream. Fuel costs are significantly lower and it’s just all so pleasant and easy, and emissions free of course. Going on longer journeys is a bit more hit and miss, however. I’ve had good and bad experiences all of which generally revolve around the number of available EV chargers in the UK.and the number of people wanting to use them at any one time.

Cost per mile to charge an EV versus an ICE vehicle (pence)

EV cost based on ZapMap calculator using 7.450p per kWh overnight tariff. Petrol figure is reported average 'per mile' cost. (Actual costs can vary depending on vehicle type, driving conditions, driving style etc)

I’m starting to get a bit more savvy now, and beginning to find better places to charge with less time to wait to use them. Often that means avoiding certain M4 services with a distinct lack of facilities, currently. Don’t get me wrong, some are great, albeit with one big problem which I’ll come to, but others are woeful, with as little as three charging devices, all of which are invariably full when you arrive.

This was the case when I pulled up at one services during a long journey to Hertfordshire.Travelling with my wife, we were planning on stopping at a farm shop just off the M4 with a decent array of chargers and a place to buy food and drink to boot, but with the shop being closed, we thought we’d stop at the last motorway services before we got there to stock up with supplies, then head to the farm shop to use the chargers and eat the food we’d bought.

But while we were at the services, we thought we may as well see if any chargers were free. They weren’t - all were full up and in use. So I parked opposite and waited to see if any became free while my wife went into the shops and picked up some lunch for us both etc.I could see no other EV vehicles in the vicinity or obviously waiting, so knew I was next in line if a space did become free.

After ten minutes or so, another EV pulled up right alongside the charging vehicles. I walked over to the driver to point out there was a queue (of sorts - but we’ll come to that).They didn’t seem entirely happy, but I presumed they’d got the message. Support award-winning journalism with WalesOnline’s Premium app on Apple or Android ^[5]^[6]

But when the occupant of one of the charging cars unhooked from the machine and began to leave, the driver I’d just spoken to started reversing into the space. Feeling more than a little aggrieved, my sense of queuing justice sparking, I walked over to, once again, point out the fact I had clearly been waiting for a space, prior to their arrival, and could they please wait their turn.

The response didn’t exactly warm my heart during a festive time of year when we’re supposed to think of others and offer goodwill to all. They didn’t see a queue, they said, even though I had pointed out said ‘queue’ to them just moments earlier. They said they would only be 10 minutes and questioned how long I would be using the charger for, while proceeding to plug in their car - clearly, any negotiations were over.

I wasn't happy (Image: Media Wales)

I was going to be there longer than 10 minutes - more like 40, I thought, but that wasn’t the point - I was there first. But it seemed like possession was nine tenths of the law - and they were in possession. There was nothing I could do, and this driver knew it. It was incredibly frustrating and all I could do was return to my car and sit there quietly seething inside.

But the reason why this all came about is because there simply is no queuing system for EV charging stations, at least not at any of those I have visited so far.

The first electric car was invented in 1832, and there have been various iterations of the technology every decade since - although it wasn’t until 2008’s Tesla Roadster that people began to take mass produced electric cars more seriously. The Nissan Leaf followed in 2010, with sales having rocketed since that point and many countries around the world now committed to the eventual phasing out of the combustion engine, albeit with a few delays and caveats here and there.

The point is - it shouldn’t be a surprise that lots of people are now driving electric cars - so why do some motorway services have such pathetic numbers of chargers - as I say, I’ve been to farm shops in the middle of the countryside with more facilities.

But even at those that I have been to, that do have more facilities, if they are full, there is just no obvious queuing system to stop things ending up as a complete free-for-all. And we’re not people queuing at the Post Office till here - we're in hefty two tonne hunks of metal, glass and battery.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that there will be arguments, and it’s pretty stressful pulling up at a set of chargers and having to just hope that people realise where you are in the ‘queue’, if you even know yourself, and then sitting there feeling nervous every time another vehicle arrives with the telltale green flash on their number plate - 'will they know it's my turn next?'.

At the moment, it seems to be a system of goodwill, and a discussion between parties present as to who is next. I’ve had to take someone’s word for it that they were there before me previously, even though I’m pretty sure they weren’t, but not certain, as it’s difficult to be 100%.

So - if you’re listening, EV charging station operators - what is needed is a system. That might be a line of numbered bays like a taxi rank on the approach to the chargers - every time one becomes free, everyone shifts up one. It could be a ticketing system where you take a number from a machine and wait for it to flash up to say you're next, or a panel where you type in your registration number on arrival and there is a virtual electronic queue.

Whatever works for you, we EV drivers don’t really mind - just some kind of logical queuing system to stop the potential for rows.

Until charging times improve - and there is new technology coming hopefully - people will often be sat at these chargers for between 20 and 40 minutes, maybe longer if the power coming from the charger is way less than advertised (which happens a lot). Imagine the chaos if it took half an hour to fill up your car at the petrol pump and there was no queuing system there - it would be anarchy and highly dangerous.

So please, think about EV drivers and our blood pressures, and get something sorted.

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References

^{^} subscribing to our newsletters here (www.walesonline.co.uk)
^{^} New electric car rules have come into force (www.walesonline.co.uk)
^{^} Brits' knowledge around electric vehicles lacking spark (www.walesonline.co.uk)
^{^} and you can read about my first few months with it here (www.walesonline.co.uk)
^{^} Apple (go.skimresources.com)
^{^} Android (play.google.com)
^{^} Expansion of electric vehicle charge points to continue in Cardiff despite Prime Minister's U-turn (www.walesonline.co.uk)
^{^} 'I've saved £4,500 since I switched to an electric car' (www.walesonline.co.uk)