Record rate of installation as 20,000 new chargers join public network

The rate of charge point installation on the public network reached record levels in 2024, according to new analysis from Zapmap.

More than 20,000 new charge points were installed in the year, bringing the total number across the country to 73,699 – a year-on-year increase of 38%.  

The rate of installation of charge points has also grown from an average of 1,400 per month to 1,650 per month. 

Charge point growth was particularly strong in the ultra-rapid segment (150kW+), which saw an increase of 84% in installations since the end of 2023. 

There are more than 7,000 150kW+ chargers, with a total of more than 14,000 over 50kW now available, while the number of hubs (six or more 50kW chargers) rose from 264 at the end of 2023 to 537 at the end of 2024. 

Destination chargers, which enable EV drivers to charge while they stop, rather than stopping to charge, also continue to grow in number. 

There are 12,000 additional chargers now available at destinations such as restaurants, hotels, retail car parks and leisure areas across the UK.

While the provision of on-street chargers supporting those EV drivers without off-street parking has grown, 72% of these chargers are concentrated in Greater London. 

Many other areas such as Coventry and Liverpool also have good local availability, but overall provision at a local level is still variable. 

With the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Government funded projects starting to come to fruition, according to Zapmap, there should be a more equitable distribution of on-street charging provision towards the end of 2025. 

Zapmap’s statistics also show significant progress in the distribution of en-route chargers outside London. 

This year, nine out of 12 geographical areas of the UK now have over 1,000 50kW-plus chargers. 

Wales and the North West continue to be less well covered, although they have made good progress over the course of 2024, while the pace of installations in Northern Ireland continues to lag.

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and chief operating officer at Zapmap, said: “Last year was another record year for charging infrastructure growth with en-route charging points in particular being installed ahead of the growth in electric vehicle sales. 

“As we move into 2025, we can expect to see the benefits of the PCPR consumer regulations coming into effect combined with the impact of LEVI funded projects reaching local authorities and bringing more equitable access to charging devices. 

“Confirmation on a strong and clear ZEV mandate, following the Government’s recently communicated consultation, will also help to bring certainty and confidence to both infrastructure providers and UK drivers that the transition is happening now.”

RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis welcomed the improving availability of EV charge points. However, he said: “It’s also important that their affordability is addressed, especially for anyone without a driveway who can’t charge cheaply at home.

“There is still a huge gulf in prices between public and home chargers, partly due to the higher rate of VAT at public charge points compared to the 5% domestic rate.

“Charge point installations and cheaper public charging costs are two sides of the same coin when it comes to ramping up private EV demand.”