Many people would like to drive an electric vehicle (EV) but have some concerns about what would happen if they charge up but then find themselves in a rural area with a battery running low and nowhere close that they can go to in order to recharge.
Known as ‘range anxiety’ it is a concern that has a greater resonance in countryside areas, although many local authorities in such places have been working hard to address it.
This can be helped not just by the provision of more chargers, but also with faster charging points, so that people can add a lot of range to their car in just a few minutes. Otherwise, those in a hurry may be left in the invidious position of needing to travel a long way but not being able to wait around a long time while they charge up.
Both these concerns may have been aided by the opening of a new charging hub in Wales that not only provides extra chargers but can enable people to get their EV charged up with 150 miles of range in just ten minutes.
As Wales Online reports, E.On Drive has installed a hub featuring ten 300W hubs, which is located by the A48 at Cross Hands in Carmarthenshire.
Although motorists heading south or east will be able to find lots of chargers in towns and cities like Swansea and Cardiff, drivers heading off in other direction will be heading into the heart of rural Wales, with the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) and Pembrokeshire Coast national parks both close by.
Indeed, E.On has recognised a specific need for EV drivers in this area, describing the new hub as resolving a “20-mile gap” in range for those driving up the M4 towards Carmarthen and beyond.
Of course, providing more chargers is something firms like E.On can only do with enough staff, which is why taking an EV charger course can be such a great career move for electricians.
Managing director of E.ON Drive Infrastructure UK Dev Chana remarked: “This hub is a major milestone, not just for Wales but for ensuring the UK is more joined up and better equipped for a future powered by electric vehicles.”
While rural parts of Wales may be among the areas needing extra infrastructure like this the most, the need is still substantial in urban areas, many of which are far better served than others.
The latest data from the Department of Transport, accurate as of July this year, highlights the variations in coverage in both urban and rural areas.
In Carmarthenshire, there were 180 devices in July, which is more than neighbouring rural counties like Powys (143) and Ceredigion (131), as well as urban Neath Port Talbot, which had just 35. Swansea did rather better with 215, while Pembrokeshire fared better still with 229, the highest figure in the whole of Wales.
By contrast, Neath Port Talbot is the local authority with the fewest charters in the whole of Wales, with only Merthyr Tydfil (41) and Wrexham (45) having under 50 in July’s figures. At the same time, however, Cardiff only had 190, a low figure for a city that is home to around a tenth of the population of Wales.