Jeep® recently carried out some research to find the best places in the UK for plug-in car owners to charge their cars and discovered that the city of Coventry is in fact the best place in Britain, with one charging device for every 2.3 registered plug-in car owners compared with the national average of one device for every 15 plug-in cars registered in the UK, according to recent government data.
However, the research discovered that EV and plug-in hybrid owners living in the Outer Hebrides are ever better off, with the Na h-Eileanan Siar local authority having one charger for every 2.13 cars. And if you happen to be living in Fermanagh or Omagh in Northern Ireland, you are also better off than the average place, with 2.5 cars per charger, whilst Wandsworth in London has 2.6 cars per charger and the Isle of Anglesey 2.8 cars per charger.
Jeep’s country manager, Damien Dally, said:
“The UK’s charging infrastructure is improving every day and it’s great to see charging devices popping up across the country. Sales of plug-in hybrids are up by almost 90 per cent this year as motorists look for a more sustainable way of driving around so the Jeep Renegade 4xe plug-in hybrid is great choice for zero emission city driving and the daily commute, while the petrol engine makes it flexible for longer journeys and trips where there might not be charging stations.”
Jeep surveyed 2,000 UK motorists, consisting of 1,600 petrol, diesel and hybrid car owners and 400 who have either a plug-in hybrid or pure electric car. The research revealed that the average motorist drives just 26 miles per day, while 60 per cent of petrol and diesel car owners drive fewer than 20 miles per day. Of those surveyed, 79 per cent think the government should be investing more in improving the public charging infrastructure and 76 per cent said there should be greater investment in on-street charging where motorists don’t have their own driveways or off-street parking.
The survey, which was carried out via OnePoll, also found that a fifth of petrol and diesel drivers supported the introduction of road pricing to offset the loss in fuel duty revenue, whilst 59 per cent of plug-in drivers supported a road levy.
The research was carried out to coincide with the launch of the new Jeep Renegade 4xe, which is a plug-in hybrid, giving a battery range of up to 26 miles on full charge, which turns out to be the same figure the average British motorist drives per day. The Jeep’s 1.3-litre petrol engine is then available for those longer journeys.
Dally added:
“Our research shows the public is supportive of the move towards electric vehicles, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that those who have made the switch are more in favour of the transition.
“With 71 per cent of petrol, diesel and hybrid drivers covering fewer than 30 miles per day on average, a plug-in hybrid would give them the benefit of zero emission driving while providing the comfort of a petrol engine to fall back on for longer journeys as well.”
For more information on the Jeep Renegade 4xe plug-in hybrid, please visit www.jeep.co.uk/4xe-hybrid.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man Behind The Wheel, a member of The Guild of Motoring Writers, professional photographer and former saloon car racing driver.
Illustrations courtesy of Jeep® UK
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