Charging point deployment for EVs has accelerated rapidly in recent years, but more still needs to be done by the government to encourage rollout. That’s according to a report released this week by charging industry body ChargeUK.

The UK now has 64,632 EV charging points supporting 1.145 million fully electric cars, according to data in the report compiled by Zapmap.

“While the outlook is positive, there is still work to be done,” said Vicky Read, CEO of ChargeUK, at the launch of the report, Powering Ahead to 2030.

The UK now has a ratio of around 17 vehicles per public charging point. This ratio has improved from 95:1 in 2022. But is still behind that of other countries.

The Netherlands, a leading adopter of EVs, has a ratio of over 4:1. France has a ratio of under 9:1, according to consultants Roland Berger. Slovakia, Latvia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, and Cyprus all have ratios of under 10:1.

Outlook to 2030

In January 2024, the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate came into force. This set out the percentage of EVs that manufacturers in the UK must sell each year, increasing to 100% by 2035. The recently elected Labour government has pledged to bring that date forward to 2030 in its election manifesto.

The UK currently has a target to reach 300,000 working public charging points by 2030. In November 2020, the government allocated £1.3 billion in funding to help meet this target.

According to the ChargeUK report, the nation is on track to meet the target.

“If deployment continues at that rate of exponential growth, the number of charge points is set to double every two years and the UK will exceed 300,000 public charge points by 2030,” says the ChargeUK report.

Falling short

A separate report, released in June by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), claims 300,000 charging points will not be enough to meet consumer demand.

The SMMT report estimates the UK would need at least 2.3 million charging points nationwide by 2030. This is to serve the 6.4 million electric cars that will reaching the UK’s roads between now and then.

The SMMT report notes that to meet this growing demand from EV drivers the government must take actions to mandate an accelerated rollout of EV charging infrastructure. It must also work on the grid infrastructure to supply it.

The ChargeUK report maintains that the current rate of rollout is broadly adequate to meet consumer demand.

“Our analysis shows that public charge point numbers are currently increasing faster than the number of EVs on the road,” it said.

It adds that any assessment of the charging network should also include the home charging network. This comprises 809,181 chargers, bringing the UK ratio to 1.2 vehicles per charger, if home charging is included.

Public private

Norway, one of the most advanced EV networks in Europe, has a public charger ratio of only 24:1. In terms of home chargers, though, this ratio increases to 1:1.

Other organisations say that, although home charging is important, public charging is vital to a successful rollout of EVs nationwide.

“This infrastructure will be crucial to give people confidence to buy a BEV. Many people will make their vehicle purchase decisions based on the longest or most difficult journey they take,” said non-profit Transport & Environment in a written submission to a Transport Committee enquiry on EV charging earlier this year.

Meanwhile James Taylor, managing director at Vauxhall Motors, told the committee that charging anxiety was “the biggest barrier to consumer demand today”.

Of particular importance in this regard is the rollout of rapid chargers at motorway service stations. These would enable drivers to use EVs for long journeys in the same way they currently use ICE vehicles.

In the race

The UK government had a target to have at least six rapid chargers at each motorway service area in England by the end of 2023. But in January 2024, the RAC reported that only 39% of English motorway service areas had reached the target number of rapid chargers.

Because of the amount of electricity required by rapid chargers, the cost of grid and electrical distribution infrastructure upgrades means these sites are often not commercially viable for charge point operators. This is even though they are vital to consumer EV uptake.

The government has announced a Rapid Charging Fund, with £960mn of financing aimed at specifically resolving this problem. However, the fund has not yet opened for applications.

“The government … recognises demand is not consistent at all sites and some sites face distinct barriers to charge point provision,” the government said in April. It was responding to the Transport Committee.

Motorway service station operator Roadchef told the Transport Committee that some of their sites are unable to gain adequate grid connection until after 2026. One of its sites is only on course to be connected up in 2032.

This problem also effects businesses wishing to electrify fleets, which require depots with high capacity grid connections.

The government should urgently clarify the design of the Rapid Charging Fund to “remove uncertainty and address market distortion,” said ChargeUK this week in its report.

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