Yes.

Really, that’s not a question. Electric cars solve a lot of problems for our planet and our economy. We’re now at a stage where almost every major car manufacturer out there has at least one full electric, or at least hybrid vehicle on the market, and lots of them have more than one to show off. And they wouldn’t invest all that money in them if they didn’t see a future in the market.

At DNA Brickwork & Builders we’re big fans of electric vehicles. We already own one electric vehicle for the business, and we’re in the middle of getting another one to join the fleet as well. Eventually, all DNA vehicles will be electric only – you wait and see. That’s one of the reasons we’re trying to support individuals and businesses in getting their own electric cars up and running.

 

The Advantages of Electric Cars

  • Better for The Environment. There is no denying that electric cars are better for the environment. They have 0 emission exhausts, which means they produce 0 emission when driving, are fuelled by renewable energy, and usually manufactured with eco-friendly materials as well. It’s a win-win-win for the planet.

 

  • Cheaper to Run. Anyone who owns and electric car will tell you just how much cheaper they are to run. Petrol and diesel costs go up and down a lot (usually up), which makes cars very expensive to keep on the road. But the electricity needed to charge and electric vehicle works out at around a third as much per mile as buying petrol for the same vehicle, so you’ll save money in the long run. Find out how much you could save here.

  • Cheaper to Maintain. An electric vehicle has a lot less moving parts than a fuel engine, so there’s a lot less servicing and expensive parts to replace. Things like exhaust systems, starter motors, fuel injection systems, radiators and many other parts just aren’t needed in an electric car, which brings maintenance time and cost right down. They are also in the 0 band for tax, so you don’t pay any road tax for them!

 

 

Some Disadvantages

When it comes to disadvantages, there aren’t really all that many to choose from:

  • Distance. Sure, there have been some concerns over how far a car can get on a single charge, but a lot of the newer vehicles hitting the market have blown that worry out of the water. The Tesla model S can run for 335 miles on a single charge – that’s enough to get you from Southampton to Newcastle with a few miles to spare! So distance really isn’t a disadvantage anymore.

 

  • Charging can Sometimes Take a Long Time. This is fair enough – depending on the vehicle, the spec and the charging point, electric cars can take between 4 and 12 hours to fully recharge from flat. But honestly, if you can get into the habit of plugging it in for an hour or so when you come home from a journey, you shouldn’t ever run too low, and charges shouldn’t take too long. It’s just like remembering to put your phone on charge overnight.

 

  • Lack of Charging Points. This is one of the biggest disadvantages of electric cars, and it’s mainly the fact that our current motor and home infrastructure just isn’t built for them. Charge points are being installed in car parks and service stations all over the UK, but there still aren’t a huge amount around yet. And the biggest block for most people is getting a charge point for their home. Businesses suffer a similar problem – they need electric car charge points at their premises in order to attract more eco-friendly customers and provide a charging solution for employees.

 

 

Funding for Charge Points

The solution? Installing an electric car charging point at home. This puts some people off because on the surface, it looks pretty expensive. Depending on the installer you get to do the job, it could cost between a couple of hundred to a thousand plus (depending on the specific job) – which is enough to put some people off the whole idea completely.

But there is some good news. If you use an OLEV approved installer, then the whole process is simpler, smoother and cheaper. If you use DNA Brickwork & Builders, or any other OLEV approved installer, then 75% of the entire installation cost can be claimed back from the government – up to £350 per point! And even better, you don’t have to do anything at all. The whole process is managed on your behalf for a stress-free experience. And if you’re thinking you need one for your business as well, don’t worry, because DNA can help you install (and claim the grant) for that too.

This is the governments way of encouraging people to move over to electric cars, and our advice is to take advantage of it!

 

Why Use an Expert?

Getting an electric car charging point installed in your home doesn’t have to be difficult, time consuming or expensive – you just need to hire the right person to do it. And while you could use any old electrician to do the work, we recommend you use an expert in car charge point installation – like us. For one thing, this means your installer will be OLEV approved (so you can get that nice 75% grant of up to £350 per point), and it means the work will be done right the first time.

DNA Brickwork & Builders are NAPIT registered, ROLEC registered and OLEV approved car charge point installers, so we can help you source, install and even partially fund your own car charging point using the government grant. And because we know how much of a pain it is filling in government forms, we can even offer support in claiming the grant on your behalf, so you don’t have to do any work. There really is no excuse not to move over to electric today.

If you would like to know more, just get in touch with us today.