Regions outside of London are expanding fast charging infrastructure for extended travel capabilities
Charging companies are bridging gaps in the UK’s high-speed charging network, adding hundreds of stations this year beyond London. This shift aims to alleviate “range anxiety,” a concern that hampers potential electric vehicle buyers.
While the capital and the southeast maintain a substantial lead in charger quantities across all speeds, including slow, rapid, and ultra-rapid, other regions are witnessing an increase in high-speed chargers. These chargers are primarily utilized for swift recharging during extended journeys, and their prevalence is expanding as electric vehicle sales surge.
Data from ZapMap, a platform mapping public charging points in the UK, reveals that over the past year, regions such as the West Midlands, east Midlands, southwest England, and Wales have installed more rapid and ultra-rapid chargers than London. Moreover, their networks have expanded at a faster pace compared to the southeastern part of the country.
Among the UK’s 12 regions, nine installed over 100 rapid chargers in the past year, as indicated by ZapMap’s data.
Although extended trips are infrequent for most households, concerns regarding charger availability during occasional long drives, like the anticipated 14 million journeys during the August bank holiday weekend, have deterred individuals from embracing electric vehicles.
The majority of the UK’s 46,000 public chargers are categorized as either “slow,” providing a trickle of energy for overnight street charging, or “fast,” capable of charging a standard car in two to four hours. However, the significance of “rapid” and “ultra-rapid” chargers lies in facilitating the UK’s shift from traditional petrol and diesel engines to cleaner electric vehicles. These chargers enable drivers to recharge their vehicles during lengthier journeys.
There is a growing presence of rapid chargers across the UK
Percentage change in the count of rapid and ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging units by region since the end of 2022.
Rapid chargers have the capacity to supply electric vehicles with power ranging from 25 to 100 kilowatts. A 50kW connection can provide an approximately 80% charge to an average car in under an hour. Ultra-rapid connections, exceeding 100kW (and up to 350kW for the latest car models), offer even swifter charging times, allowing for the simultaneous charging of more vehicles at motorway service stations, albeit at a higher cost for users.
Melanie Shufflebotham, who serves as the Chief Operating Officer at ZapMap, noted that in 2023, the deployment of the crucial ultra-rapid charging network has significantly accelerated, witnessing a 42% increase in the number of chargers compared to the beginning of the year. She emphasized the importance of these chargers for supporting electric vehicle drivers during longer journeys. Shufflebotham also expressed satisfaction in observing their installation throughout the country, particularly in regions like Wales, Northern Ireland, and the north east, which were previously underserved.
Quentin Willson, a former motoring presenter and founder of the campaign group FairCharge, mentioned that range anxiety is no longer as prevalent as before due to the improvement in charger availability. He explained that people are effectively managing their electric vehicles as long as they plan their journeys accordingly. Given that most new electric cars offer a range of between 200 and 250 miles, which is more than sufficient for the majority of daily trips, range anxiety is no longer as significant a concern.
Moreover, ZapMap’s data reveals an overall acceleration in the pace of charger installations, with a 23% increase in total charger numbers during the first seven months of the year. In the first half of 2022, an average of 891 charging devices were installed each month, but this figure nearly doubled to 1,622 per month in the initial six months of 2023.
While London boasts the highest ratio of public chargers per capita, many regions in the UK face significant scarcity
The number of electric vehicle charging points per 100,000 people varies widely across local authorities. However, Willson pointed out that there are impediments in the system that hinder a more rapid charger rollout, including inadequacies in electricity grid connections that cannot meet the surging demand.
London significantly surpasses the rest of the country in terms of the overall count of public chargers. This is partly attributable to a higher percentage of households in London lacking private parking spaces, but it also reflects the greater appeal of the affluent London market to charge point operators.
Nonetheless, Willson cautioned against viewing London as a uniform entity due to the disparities between different local authorities. He noted that some areas within Greater London and the southeastern region of England have limited access to public chargers.
