UK owners of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) cars are wasting millions of pounds each year by failing to take advantage of cheaper charging.
By paying to recharge their vehicle at full-rate electricity prices, British motorists are collectively spending £70.9 million more than is necessary.
Analysis by charge point manufacturer Andersen EV notes there are now around 865,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles in the UK.
However, some 21 percent of PHEV owners do not have a smart charging device at home, meaning they are missing out on the opportunity to use low-cost, night-time electricity tariffs.
Of the 181,650 PHEV owners without a smart charger, Andersen EV estimates that almost two thirds (65 percent) should have access to off-street parking.
As a result, these drivers could potentially have a smart charger installed – and therefore be able to use off-peak charging tariffs.
Such tariffs can be as cheap as around £0.07 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), which compares to the average full-rate tariff of £0.25 per kWh.
This means some 118,254 PHEV owners typically spend an extra £599.94 on charging each year, equating to the estimated total of £70.9 million.
According to the latest Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) data, some 124,528 new PHEVs have been registered in the UK this year.
Owners of these vehicles could potentially make savings of more than £10.2 million over the next 12 months, should they make use of smart charging devices.
David Martell, CEO of Andersen EV, commented: “While growing numbers of battery electric vehicle (BEV) motorists have discovered they can save huge sums of money by having a smart home charging unit, many PHEV drivers have not taken heed of this opportunity and changed their charging behaviours.
“PHEVs have evolved considerably over the past 10 years. From typically having small batteries capable of 15 to 20 miles just a few years ago, today’s PHEVs can have a battery range in excess of 70 miles, with drivers able to run purely on electric for the vast majority of their weekly motoring.”
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