Drivers could be given £500 to visit motorway service stations under new electric car plan
Swansea’s Moto service station on the M4 has been named the best station for EV drivers
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Drivers could be handed £500 to visit motorway service stations around the country and review the food and facilities on offer.
One motorist could be lucky enough to be appointed as a “Service Station Tester” who will monitor the busiest and best service stations up and down the UK.
As part of the task, motorists will need to test the EV facilities available, look at the overall cleanliness, keep an eye on how busy the services can get and see what other facilities are available.
With the growing number of electric vehicles on the road, the tester will monitor the number of chargers and how busy they can get during certain times of the day.
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There have been some concerns from motorists around the UK about the state of the public charging infrastructure, saying it is not up to par.
This has been seen at particular times of the year when EV drivers are required to wait for long periods of time to charge their car, namely during Christmas.
David Kottuan, operations manager at Scrap Car Comparison, said motorists would benefit from the opportunity to ensure everyone is comfortable when taking a break from driving.
He added: “Service stations are an essential part of safe travel on the motorway, from offering us a place to rest if we’re tired from driving, to providing somewhere to complete essential maintenance such as refuelling or inflating tyres to help keep our journeys running smoothly and safely."
According to research, Swansea’s Moto service station on the M4 has been named the best stop for EV drivers, with an impressive score of 86 out of 100.
The station has 32 chargers, with just seven check-ins per charger, with a perfect “Plugscore” of 10.
Following Swansea is Reading’s M4 station with a score of 85 and Staffordshire’s Hilton Park services on the M6 with a solid score of 81.
However, the research also advises electric car drivers about which service stations they should avoid on account of being busy.
The Doncaster North services on the M18 had a staggering 157 check-ins per charger, with just four chargers in total.
Moto’s Donington Park services in Leicestershire had similar numbers, with 141 check-ins for just six chargers.
A total of six service stations contained electric car charging stations with more than 100 check-ins per charger, with experts saying this is proof the UK needs to accelerate the rollout of charging infrastructure.
According to Zap-Map, there are 48,450 charging devices around the UK, with 2,713 new chargers added last month.
Mr Kottuan continued, saying: “However, they do unfortunately have a bit of a bad reputation.
“Our data has shown that some service stations can actually be quite pleasant and enjoyable and serve a greater purpose than just for the basic necessities they provide.
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There are 48,450 charging devices around the UK, with 2,713 new chargers added last month
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“So we’re looking to hire a service station tester to take a closer look at some of the top services we’ve identified in our research and see if the data does in fact match up with the real-life experience.”
Applicants must have a full and clean driving licence, drive a petrol, diesel or electric car and be aged 18 or over.