Electric car owners are being encouraged to look at more sustainable options to charge their car, and could actually make big savings in the process.

While it is clearly tempting to simply charge your EV when you have returned from your daily commute, a new report based on a trial of 250 EV owners has found that charging your vehicle when the demand is low could save more than £100 a year and also puts less strain on the national grid.

The research, part of the Flexibly Responsive Energy Delivery (FRED) project found that the best time to recharge a car was after 4am and that switching to this time could reduce the carbon footprint by up to 20 per cent.

It goes without saying that charging your vehicle in the early evening, when demand is highest is the most expensive option, however, on windy days, when the wind farms have a surplus of energy, could be a suitable option. But the FRED project also revealed that consumers won’t opt for a smart charging option unless they have a clearer understanding of the benefits, and can see the savings being made.

“Our research showed that smart charging using the platform can make a big difference, even where people are already charging efficiently. It cuts the cost and the carbon for cheaper, cleaner driving”, Peter Bullock, a project manager at Evergreen, said in a statement.

“In our emerging green energy system, the energy we generate – for example through wind and solar – can be variable. Luckily, with electric cars, it is easy to be flexible with the times we consume energy. This is where smart charging is crucial, helping us create an energy system that is both low-carbon and efficient.”

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