ChargeUK publishes new White Paper on state of the EV charging network
Analysis shows nearly a million charge points already installed, with provision on track for 2030
ChargeUK, the voice of the UK’s EV charging industry, today launches a new White Paper “Powering Ahead to 2030”.
Working with independent transport research organisation New AutoMotive, the analysis found:
A new public charge point is being installed every 25 minutes
There are nearly a million home, work and public charge points in the UK today, almost one for every fully electric vehicle (EV)
Current infrastructure can provide enough power to enable every EV in the UK to drive 580 miles a day – 25 times the average daily car journey and further than the distance between London to Aberdeen
If current growth continues, the rollout of public chargers will track ahead of EV adoption and there will be over 300,000 public charge points in the UK by 2030
To enable the charging sector to stay on track for 2030, the new Government must take steps to remove grid, planning and permitting barriers; make owning and charging an EV easy and affordable; and clarify and speed up existing public subsidy schemes.
The full paper can be found here.
New ChargeUK analysis shows that there are over 930,000 public, home and work chargers supporting 1.1 million fully electric vehicles (EVs), meaning that there is almost one charger for every EV.
Today’s charge point network can deliver nearly seven gigawatts of power every day, enough power to enable every single one of the UK’s EVs to drive 580 miles a day – over 25 times further than the average daily journey (21 miles) and further than the distance between London and Aberdeen. Or a total of over 500 million miles.
The network is growing rapidly, with a boom in public charge point deployment currently underway: charge point numbers have more than doubled in the past two years, with a new public charge point installed every 25 minutes in the last quarter. This means that public charge point availability is now rising faster than the number of new EVs coming onto the market.
If this exponential growth rate continues, the UK will reach in excess of 300,000 public chargers by 2030, as confirmed by the National Infrastructure Commission report published in May 2024.
To keep accelerating at today’s pace and stay on track for 2030, the charging sector needs the new Government to:
Help us get even more chargers in the ground – by removing the grid, planning and permitting delays slowing us down, and including renewable electricity in the RTFO
Make charging and owning an EV as easy and affordable as possible – by equalising VAT on charging, encouraging lower cost electricity, improving signage and supporting drivers to access EVs, whether through the new, second-hand or fleet market.
Maximise private investment, by clarifying the Rapid Charging Fund, speeding up the Local EV Infrastructure Fund, addressing significant increases in standing charges, and working with us to further develop HGV charging provision.
Vicky Read, CEO of ChargeUK said:
“In little more than a decade, the UK’s charging sector has grown to become a major player in the green economy, providing the infrastructure that more than a million EV drivers rely on today and scaling fast to deliver the charging needed through to 2030 and beyond.
“Convenient and affordable charging for all is key to the UK’s switch to EVs. This new analysis will give current and future EV drivers confidence that the charging infrastructure will be there for them.
“While the outlook is positive, there is still work to be done. Delivering what the UK needs by 2030 means continuing to grow at pace, ensuring that deployment ramps up in locations that have been hampered by delays, and ensuring the UK has a thriving EV market, so that investment in infrastructure continues at scale.
“ChargeUK’s members are committed to this, but we cannot do this without the backing of the new Government, who we call on take the steps needed to remove delivery barriers, help us offer affordable charging and support our investment, as set out in our manifesto.”