UK hits electric vehicle charge point milestone

The UK now has 75,675 electric vehicle (EV) charge points available on the public network, according to new figures from Zapmap.

The total represents a 32% year-on-year increase compared to February 2024, when 57,290 devices were reported. 

Operated by Ionity, the 75,000th public charge point is one of eight ultra-rapid and four rapid devices installed at the Village Hotel, Bristol. 

Zapmap says that the milestone reflects the encouraging growth of the country’s charge point infrastructure. 

Last year saw a record rate of charge point installation with particularly strong growth in the ultra-rapid segment (150kW+), which has seen an increase of 74% in installations since the end of February 2024. 

While ultra-rapid growth has been particularly strong, the public charging infrastructure has seen growth across all charging use cases, from en-route charging for longer journeys, charging provision at destinations such as hotels and leisure centres, as well as lower-powered charge points on residential streets for drivers unable to charge at home.

Looking forward, it is expected that the EV infrastructure will continue to see strong growth.

Zapmap says that as projects funded by LEVI (Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) scheme come to fruition, a high number of on-street chargers will be rolled out through the second half of the year, with numbers being further bolstered by investment from the private sector.

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and chief operating officer at Zapmap, said: “Having 75,000 public charge points available, across the different charging use cases, is a significant milestone for the UK EV market.   

“An extensive network of public charging, especially high visibility hubs, helps drive confidence for the next wave of drivers who will be making the switch to electric over the next few years.”

Vicky Read, CEO at ChargeUK, said that the milestone was an “incredible achievement” for an industry that is barely a decade old.

“We know a successful transition to EVs depends on world-class charging infrastructure being deployed ahead of demand,” she added. 

“Millions more EVs will be sold in the coming years, so we need to keep the momentum going with ChargeUK’s members having committed to invest £6 billion by 2030 to do just this.

“Though translating investment into chargers requires a supportive policy environment. That means a strong and stable ZEV mandate and positive steps to address barriers to affordability and deployment, such as equalising VAT, a solution to rising standing charges, and the speeding up of grid connections.”