Not enough: Gov ramps up EV charger rollout amid calls for more action
The UK Government has continued to ramp up the rollout of public electric vehicle (EV) chargers over recent months.
According to data published today by the DfT, as of 1 October 34,637 public EV chargers were installed in the UK – 34 per cent up on last year’s levels.
This is also 8 per cent up on the previous quarter, as an extra 2,626 charging stations have been added.
“2,626 new public charge points is more than we have seen installed in any comparable period in the past decade, but it is not enough,” said Jon Lawes, managing director of car finance firm Novuna Vehicle Solutions.
According to Lawes, demand for public chargers is rising faster than its supply despite the government pledging to have 300,000 EV charge points by 2030.
“The ratio of vehicles to charge points has grown from 5:1 to 15:1 in just three years, and we forecast it will hit 54:1 by 2030,” he added.
“Without an urgent acceleration of the government’s EV infrastructure strategy under the new administration, we will be tied to petrol and diesel far longer than we need to be.”
Uneven geographical distribution represents another obstacle to the ramp up of public EV chargers, as London has 122 charging stations per 100,000 people – up from the UK average of 52 – while Northern Ireland has only 18.
A DfT spokesperson told Morning Wire: “Our work to ensure charge points are accessible for all means that today’s drivers are never more than 25 miles away from a rapid charge point anywhere along England’s motorways and major A roads.
“We are pledging over £1.6 billion to boost charge point numbers, and expect at least ten times more to be installed across the UK by 2030.”