New public charge point installed every 25 minutes

There are almost 930,000 public, home and work chargers supporting 1.1 million fully electric vehicles (EVs), new analysis from Charge UK shows.

The figures, from a new Charge UK white paper – Powering Ahead to 2030 – produced with New AutoMotive, show that 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.

It means that public charge point availability is now rising faster than the number of new EVs coming on to the market.

If this exponential growth rate continues, the trade body says that 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.  

Vicky Read, CEO of Charge UK, 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.” 

She continued: “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.”

To keep accelerating at charge point growth and to stay on track for 2030, Charge UK says that the charging sector needs the new Government to remove the grid, planning and permitting delays, and include renewable electricity in the RTFO. 

It also wants the Government to equalise VAT on charging, encouraging lower cost electricity, improving signage and supporting drivers to access EVs, whether through the new, second-hand or fleet market.  

Furthermore, it wants to maximise private investment, by clarifying the Rapid Charging Fund, speeding up the Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, addressing significant increases in standing charges, and working with us to further develop HGV charging provision. 

Read said: “Charge UK’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.”