Three quarters of motorists would switch to EVs if charging took five minutes

Almost three-quarters of motorists (72%) say they would switch to an electric car that offered 250 miles of range from five minutes of charging, according to new research.

Technology capable of delivering this was recently unveiled by BYD, and in Startline’s May Used Car Tracker, with 36% of the 308 respondents questioned point out it’s almost as fast as refuelling with petrol and 34% said it would mean they wouldn't even need a home charger.

Paul Burgess, Startline Motor Finance chief executive, said: “The promise of an electric car that can be powered with the convenience of a petrol equivalent clearly strikes a chord with many potential buyers, our research shows.

“Being able to pull up to a charger and add 250 miles of range in moments would remove the need for a home charger, especially important for people who don’t have the space to install their own, and promises to make the whole process of highway charging much simpler.”

However, there are also some objections from drivers.

The Tracker also shows that 15% believe power from chargers this fast will be expensive while 12% say that building a charging network of this speed would be difficult. 

Burgess said: “We have, of course, yet to see BYD’s charging in action and it is comparatively rare to see chargers rated at over 300kW in the UK, never mind the 1,000kW that five-minute charging demands.

"Our most powerful public chargers offer less than half that capacity.

“Delivering this step change would require a massive investment in infrastructure and motorists are probably correct in assuming that this kind of power would be expensive to install and to access.”