Concerns around running out of power during long journeys for electric vehicle (EV) drivers could be a thing of the past, thanks to a new initiative.
Chargie is a peer-to-peer service which allows people to rent out their charging points in a similar way to renting out rooms or homes through Airbnb.
An EV owner wanting to charge their car can find a domestic charge point on the website and send a booking request to the homeowner, who then reviews the profile of the person making the booking before accepting or declining it.
While owners of charge points can register with the service, bookings can only be made from the 16th of May.
The service has been set up by a couple from Maidenhead, Jan Stannard and Jeremy Coulter, who recently invested in their first EV.
They came up with the concept after realising there wasn’t a public charging point anywhere near their UK holiday destination.
Mrs Stannard said: “We want Chargie to help make electric cars the dominant form of transport in the UK, not just for short local runs, which is how many electric cars are currently used.
“For that to happen, you need to be able to go a distance and know for sure that you can charge at the other end. At the moment, that’s simply not possible. Other than major cities and motorway service stations, most areas of the UK still have no meaningful charging infrastructure.”
Based on current electricity prices, a full recharge of an electric car costs the homeowner between £2 and £4.
Earlier this year, new research revealed higher insurance premiums are putting off most drivers from switching to hybrid cars or EVs.
