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The number of EV drivers charging their cars at home has seen a marked decline during the last year, according to a new survey.
The research, carried out by YouGov on behalf of charger manufacturer CTEK, found that only 58% of EV drivers were now charging at home, compared with 78% in 2021.
The research found 20% were charging their cars at work, 20% at shopping centres, 11% at hotels, and 8% at restaurants.
Also, 17% were charging at petrol stations, although only 7% said this was their favourite charging location, and indeed 12% said not having to visit petrol stations was the best thing about EV ownership.
The survey also found that only 8% of EV drivers thought a lack of local charging facilities was the biggest frustration with going electric, compared with 30% in 2021, something CTEK said tallied with figures from Zap-Map showing a 34% increase in the number of public chargers since last year.
However, 71% of UK motorists still felt more charging infrastructure was needed, which although an improvement on the 78% to report that in 2021 was still the highest percentage compared with other European countries surveyed (Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden).
Of those surveyed, 44% said availability of public charging made them more likely to want an EV, and this rose to 50% with charging at work.
However, 59% said a lack of EV roaming, which would allow drivers to access different providers' chargers and networks, was a major frustration.
The survey found that 40% of EV drivers charge their car once a week or less, 26% charge two to three times a week, and only 14% charge every day.
CTEK global director for energy and facilities Cecilia Routledge said: "It is extremely encouraging to see that the availability of public and destination charging facilities is starting to step up to meet the growing demand for out-of-home charging, as this is a vital factor in the overall acceptance and take up of electric motoring.
"However, reliability of out-of-home charging remains an issue, and this is an aspect that needs additional focus, along with steps to reduce the complexity of payment and industry-wide commitment to rolling out EV roaming, which would give EV drivers better access to charging stations, in the same way that mobile phone users can simply access different networks as they travel around the globe."
Based on the survey results, CTEK also said a need was highlighted for clear, consistent information about EVs and EV charging, with 30% of drivers saying they were confused by the information available, 45% saying they wouldn't know where to go to find out about EVs, and 17% saying that knowing more about EVs and how they work would encourage them to drive one.
Regarding concerns over driving range, the survey found that the percentage of EV drivers naming this as their main frustration had reduced from 23% to 17%, but 51% still had some level of range anxiety.
Overall, the UK tied with the Netherlands in having drivers who were the most positive about EVs, with 55% of motorists in these countries believing electric motoring is the future of road travel. This rose to 70% of current UK EV owners.
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