We recently saw the millionth fully electric vehicle (EV) registration in the UK. Over the past two years, one in six of all new car registrations were electric. However, there is some concern that while business demand remains strong, consumer demand may have cooled since the government postponed the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030 to 2035. What else is holding people back?

When looking at the reasons consumers give for not moving to an EV, the high up-front cost of the initial purchase and worries about the charging infrastructure are often cited – even if almost nine in 10 drivers who do make the switch are highly satisfied.

In terms of public charging infrastructure, there has been great progress overall. In 2023, the roll-out of the UK’s charging infrastructure has picked up pace, with 45% more chargers by the end of 2023 compared to the end of 2022, and nearly double the number of chargers installed year-on-year.

Charging infrastructure  
Despite this positive progress, there remains – particularly among certain sections of the media – an obsession around whether the government is going to achieve its target of 300,000 public chargers by 2030. This focus on a single number is not helpful as not all chargers are the same (a 5 kW lamppost charger is completely different to a 350 kW high-powered charger), and they serve different use cases – one is for overnight charging, the other to provide fast en-route charging. The key issue is to make sure the right infrastructure is installed in the right place.

Most EV drivers have a charge point at home, and do the vast majority of their charging there. In our latest survey, 80% of EV drivers had a home charge point and 84% of their charging happened at home. We estimate that in addition to the more than 55,000 public chargers across the UK, there are 700,000 chargers located at EV drivers’ homes. That’s a vitally important figure which is often missing from many discussions on charger provision.

So, for this cohort of drivers who enjoy overnight charging and the pleasures of waking up to a fully charged battery, EV charging is all about finding a reliable, available and accessible charge point when they are on longer journeys.

By the end of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate by 2030, the forecast is 6 million EVs – possibly one in five of all vehicles – so we know the infrastructure needs to keep growing.

High power charging  
The high-powered rapid (50 kW) or ultra-rapid (100 kW+) network has grown at an impressive rate over the past year. Increasingly, the charge point operators are installing 150 kW+ chargers, rather than the 50 kW which was standard a few years ago. In the UK, nearly half of the 10,000 high-powered chargers are now 100 kW+ and provision has more than doubled since the end of 2022.

This significant increase in capacity is predominantly driven by the private sector, and many charge point operators are partnering with brands such as InstaVolt with its Starbucks and McDonald's relationships. Others such as Gridserve, Osprey and Fastned are building charging hubs or electric forecourts – with dedicated charging areas. The traditional energy players such as MFG, Shell and BP are also leveraging their existing forecourts to build out a charging network.

Development constraints and new operators  
Going forwards, the constraints on development are generally practical issues – finding the right land, getting the grid connections and gaining planning permissions etc. In recent months there is evidence that there is increased cross-industry collaboration in this area, and delivery of projects is beginning to speed up.

In this space there are still new operators coming into the market. Only last month, Sainsbury’s announced that it was not only investing substantially in EV charging, but also setting up its own branded network, Charge Smart. It has ambitious roll-out plans – 759 chargers across 300 store locations in 2024 – which it may achieve as it has the advantage of owning its sites. That alone would represent a 7% increase in high-powered charging capacity in the UK.

Utilisation is running at an average of around 14%, so the issue is not overall capacity. But we all recognise there will occasionally be pinch-points. On high travel days, such as around Christmas, the number of charges increases by up to fourfold on standard usage. Unfortunately that can mean queues, but we expect that to be less of a problem as the network continues to expand and faster chargers become the norm.

Those lacking off-street parking  
What about those who don’t have off-street parking? Estimates suggest that about 40% of drivers do not have access to off-street parking as they live in a terraced house, flat or shared property.

Our Zapmap survey found half of EV drivers that do not have off-street parking still charged at home using a 3-pin plug, and the rest use one of the 20,000 on-street chargers or another local charging provision.

It’s certainly a challenge for local authorities to provide charging capability for these households.

Lamppost chargers have proven popular, with char.gy, Connected Kerb and Shell’s Ubitricity paving the way. Higher-end solutions such as Trojan Energy’s lance and Urban Fox’s retractable chargers provide a more personalised option and don’t add to street furniture.

Another option is for EV drivers to share the existing capacity of installed home chargers. Indeed, 18% of Zapmap users would be willing to do so for some level of payment – this could certainly be part of the solution but won’t work for all.

Most recently, the announcement by BT that it was going to convert up to 60,000 of its ‘green cabinets’ got lots of support among the EV community and from industry. What’s not to like? BT would be using existing grid connections and its large resources could be a true game-changer. Albeit in 2024 it is starting with a small trial.

The Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) scheme  
We mustn’t forget the government has introduced the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) scheme, which provides £450mn of funding that will be allocated across every local authority. This will be a key enabler even though a significant volume of chargers may not be seen in the ground from this scheme until 2025.

Importantly, the government is also making efforts to get rid of red tape – as part of the ‘Plan for Drivers’, it announced a consultation to downgrade the requirement for planning permission for charging point installations to a permit. This could pave the way for a much lower cost and potentially more low tech solution for close-to-home charging. Examples are companies such as Charge Gully or Kerbo Charge, who provide simple gullies across the pavement which can then link with a home charger.

This would also allow EV drivers to benefit from lower domestic charging costs – which currently are not only significantly lower than public charging, but also attract a lower VAT rate. It would also encourage smart charging, drive the uptake of solar panels and open up more opportunities for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and the grid balancing benefits that provides – the EV acting as a gateway to a lower carbon home.

The consumer experience  
Aside from the number of chargers, there are broader challenges in the overall consumer experience, and anecdotally drivers have greater ‘charger anxiety’ than ‘range anxiety’. These concerns can centre around charger access, whether that’s payment issues, finding chargers not working, or problems with the consumer charging experience.

The Public Charge Point Regulations (PCPR) have been introduced to address these issues and cover aspects such as transparent pricing, improved reliability and mandating contactless payments for all chargers 8 kW and above – all common issues raised by EV drivers. The charging operators’ compliance with these measures increase in the share of the latest charging tech and, combined with including this data in apps such as Zapmap, should go a long way to combat these concerns in the coming months.

We know we’re going to see many more fully EVs on our roads in the years to come. By the end of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate (which sets out the percentage of net zero emission cars and vans manufacturers will be required to produce by 2030), the forecast is 6 million – possibly one in five of all vehicles – so we know the infrastructure needs to keep growing.

Making the switch for all drivers  
We also need to see more measures to support the transition so that everyone can make the switch. This includes making EVs more affordable. Car manufacturers need to provide more choice with more affordable options, and consumer incentives are needed to encourage more drivers to join the journey towards a cleaner and more sustainable future. 

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