The government has published the results of its cost of charging review that was announced alongside the introduction of the eVED pay per mile tax system. 

The report, written by independent energy expert Philip New, has highlighted the charging inequality between EV drivers who have home charging and those who have to rely on the public network. 

One of the recommendations of the report is that EV drivers should be able to ‘port’ their home energy tariff and access the same prices as they would get at home when using lower powered charge points. 

That would take time to implement, however, and the report has recommended that the government introduce financial support to close the gap in the meantime. 

Interestingly, the review of public charging prices also acknowledges that prices per kWh are often hard to see, that advertised power rates are not often met when charging and drivers are also charged expensive pre-authorisation holds on their bank accounts (as high as £60 in some cases) when trying to charge. 

The report is keen to note, though, that charge point operators are charging prices at rapid and ultra-rapid chargers that are very close to their actual costs, highlighting the issue that there are high costs baked into the electricity supply. 

The government’s review also raises concerns that charge networks are suffering, saying “the review has found many operators are under financial strain”, with few of them likely to be operating at profit. 

One of the final recommendations in the report is that the government needs to work to improve signage for electric vehicle charge points, which will be welcomed by many.