IN the latest kick in the teeth to motorists the RAC has warned that electric vehicles (EVs) will be more expensive to run than their petrol equivalents from October 2022. It added that the cost of a full charge at home for an EV with a 64-kilowatt battery – such as a Kia e-Niro – will average £33.80, compared to the current cost of £18.37 and last winter’s average of £13.69. These figures represent the cost when using a seven-kilowatt charger.
EVs have soared in popularity ahead of the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK from 2030. According to official figures there was a 50 per cent increase in registrations of pure electric cars during the first seven months of the year compared with the same period in 2021.
An RAC spokesman said: “The impact of energy price rises will certainly be felt by drivers who charge their electric cars at home, with a full charge of a typical family-sized electric SUV costing up to 84 per cent more this winter compared to now. Despite recent falls in the price of petrol and diesel, the cost of charging at home is still good value, but again underlines just how the rising cost of electricity will affect EV owners. the Jaguar i-PACE is a good example of the cost rise
“Public charge point operators are having no choice but to increase their prices to reflect the rising wholesale costs they’re faced with, which will heavily impact drivers with no access to home charging. The RAC continues to support the FairCharge’s campaign for a cut in the VAT rate levied on electricity from public charge points to five per cent to mirror the rate charged on domestic electricity.”
The unit cost of electricity will nearly double under the new energy prices released this week, whilst the price of petrol and diesel has fallen in recent weeks to around £1.70 per litre in comparison. By way of illustration, the RAC say the owner of a Jaguar i-PACE, an electric SUV, would spend £99 more to travel 400 miles than a driver in the petrol equivalent. The same they say is true for cheaper models. A Kia e-Niro owner would have to spend £88 more than a Kia Sportage driver to travel the same distance.
How can the powers that be insist that changing to EVs is good for our pocket as well as our planet then allow huge multinationals to make even more billions by overcharging us for our electricity making EVs more expensive than petrol and diesel vehicles?
Max Verstappen storms from 14th to first in dramatic Belgian Grand Prix
TURNAROUND: Sparks fly as Max Verstappen powers through the field to win the Belgian Grand Prix
ON a big weekend in Motorsport, Max Verstappen powered from 14th on the grid to claim a dominant Belgian Grand Prix win as Sergio Pérez took second place to seal a 1-2 finish for Red Bull Racing. Carlos Sainz was third for Ferrari, but team-mate Charles Leclerc finished a lowly sixth after a late bid to claim fastest lap backfired.
When the lights went out at the start, polesitter Carlos Sainz got away well to take the lead. Front-row starter Pérez was swamped into Turn 1 and passed by Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Alonso’s stay in second place was brief, however, as Hamilton attacked Alonso but failed to give his rival enough room and the pair collided. Hamilton’s car was launched into the air, and both went off track. The collision forced Hamilton to retire.
After many of the leaders had pitted for tyres, Verstappen made his first stop at the end of lap 15 and switched to a set of medium tyres in a 2.8-second stop. The champion emerged from the pit lane just behind Sainz. The Red Bull driver then retook the lead on lap 18 using DRS to power past Sainz on the Kemmel Straight. Pérez caught Sainz on lap 20 and on the following lap Pérez effortlessly slipped past the Ferrari driver.
Verstappen now led his team-mate by 6.7 seconds, with Sainz third. Russell held fourth with Leclerc in fifth. The race leader’s final pit stop of the afternoon came at the end of lap 30 and he moved to another set of mediums for his final stint. And from there the final laps became a victory march for the Dutchman, who took his ninth win of the season plus a point for the fastest lap. Pérez took second to complete Red Bull’s fourth 1-2 of the season and secure his seventh podium of the year. Sainz finished third ahead of Russell and Alonso, while Leclerc was left with sixth. Esteban Ocon finished seventh, Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly were eighth and ninth with tenth and the final championship point going to the Williams of Alex Albon.
In other F1 news, Audi has confirmed that the car manufacturer will be competing in the premier class of motorsport commencing in the 2026 season with a specially developed power unit. The project will be based at Audi Sport’s facility in Neuburg near Ingolstadt. This is the first time in more than a decade that a n F1power train will be built in Germany.
In the British Touring Car Championship Dan Cammish and Ash Sutton celebrated a stunning day for NAPA Racing as the duo took a win apiece at Thruxton last Sunday as well as the squad’s first ever one-two in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship. In the process reigning champion Sutton reduced the gap to just six points to Championship leader Armagh’s Colin Turkington with just six races of the season remaining.
Josh Cook kept his title chances alive with victory in the reverse grid finale. Not a great weekend for Turkington, having failed to make any impact during qualifying and scoring only to tenth place finishes and a second place over the weekend. Turkington now leads the Championship on 311 points, Sutton just six behind with Ingram on 293, Hill on 288 and Cook on 243.
