Myth-busting 10 misconceptions about electric vehicles 

An electric car with a 60kWh battery would take around eight hours to charge from empty to fully charged using a 7kWh charging point. Most batteries, however, rapid charge up to 80% and then trickle charge the final 20% to protect the battery. 

An electric car with a 60kWh battery, which should give a range of around 200 miles, would cost approximately £8.40 for a full charge at home. This is based on the average UK domestic electricity cost of 14p per kWh. To work out what a full charge will cost, take the electricity tariff price and multiply by the battery size, then divide by 100. For example: Tariff (e.g. 14p/kWh) * Battery size (e.g. 60kWh) / 100 = Cost to fully charge (e.g. £8.40).

Some electric vehicles can travel up to 340 miles (550 km), and performance is improving all the time. It’s commonly thought that electric cars can’t travel that far, but it’s a misconception that is fast disappearing with the latest generation of electric vehicles. Like petrol and diesel cars, range is influenced by a variety of factors, including driving conditions, weather, load, tyres and aerodynamics. 

The network of charging stations in the UK is growing extremely rapidly right now. There are already more electric charging points than there are fuel stations and the number is increasing all the time.

Not at all, in fact, it’s really simple. All you need is a charging cable and a connection to electricity. The quickest and simplest way to charge from home is with a wall box, but these can also be installed in the garages of blocks of flats, while charging point manufacturers are developing a variety of different solutions for on-street charging.

Yes, it can, because the charging capacity depends on the temperature due to the chemical process occurring within the battery.

It will not be possible to get a drive-ready status, so you cannot drive off. There might also be a warning indicator.

No, electric vehicle batteries are sealed against water intrusion.

Electric vehicles emit dramatically lower levels of harmful gases into the atmosphere, which helps to improve local air quality. Charging with renewable energy can further contribute to a reduction in emissions. 

Zero emission cars are exempt from road tax and most congestion charges as well as low emission zones.

For more information on electric vehicles, click here.

People looking to make the switch to an electric vehicle can read about the VWFS Lease&Care package, which has been designed to make medium and high-end priced electric vehicles more affordable.

The simplicity of this finance plan means all servicing and car costs are covered in one easy, single monthly payment.

For more information, head to: https://customer.vwfs.co.uk/car-finance-options/lease-care.html

Similarly, consumers are invited to download the EV&Me app, which VWFS created with Audi to demonstrate to customers how their driving style would suit an electric vehicle and what to expect if they were in one of the new Audi electric vehicles.

To find out more, click here: https://www.audi.co.uk/electric/ev-me-app.html