Despite record growth, half of all electric car drivers experience queues for quick chargers

– There will be a record number of electric drivers on Norwegian roads this summer. Many electric drivers are charging quickly, perhaps for the first time. To avoid long queues for charging, I encourage everyone to plan wisely and help each other, says the Secretary General Norwegian Automobile Association Electrical, Christina Bu.

As many as six out of ten electric drivers go on holiday with an electric car this year, the vast majority in Norway, according to the data from the Elbilisten 2021 study. fast chargers. Most of the queues for charging occur on weekends and holidays.

86 percent electrician drivers say they use fast charging, and almost half (48%) say they experience queues from time to time or more frequently. Eight percent said their longest queue was over an hour, and 13 percent said it was 40 to 60 minutes. The survey shows that weekends and the so-called departure days is the typical time with loading queues.

- The fact that charging lines last longer than an hour is far too long when the aim is to convince more and more consumers to replace an internal combustion car with an eco-friendly electric car. Now politicians need to understand what is needed for development in the coming years, says the secretary general of the Norwegian Electric Car Association.

Car Association electrical industry is working on better framework conditions for rapid development charging throughout Norway. They recently agreed with the Storting that a separate charging strategy should be created to identify the need for future development.

Planning is the key to a stress-free electric car holiday, according to Christina Bu.

- Plan your route well and use the ElbilAppen app to choose the charging stops.

There you will get suggestions for charging stations based on the range of the electric car you are driving. Also, check if there are charging options at your accommodation so you can charge your car while you sleep, says Bu.

The Electric Car Association also encourages all electric car drivers to find out how to pay for quick charging as soon as possible. It's a good idea to save the charging chip in advance so that there is as little stress as possible when you stand at the quick charger for the first time. The Electric Car Association offers all members a charging chip in which the various charging operators can be registered.

Remember, it's a good idea to stop charging once you've charged 80 percent of your electric car's battery, and ideally sooner if you don't need more range. This reduces recharging queues and is good for both wallet and battery health.

After 80 percent, charging is slower anyway, says Christina Bu.

After last year's vacation, the vast majority of electric car drivers who were on vacation by electric car replied that they would go on a holiday trip by electric car again, so they were generally satisfied. Charging topics, however, are the most common disadvantage of electric cars, according to electric drivers.