British companies deployed over 8,700 public EV chargers across the United Kingdom in 2022 as of December 22, as per The Guardian.
Overall, Data company Zap-Map revealed that the UK currently has over 37,000 public EV chargers. This number indicates a YoY growth of 30%. For comparison, battery electric vehicle sales recorded a YoY increase of 38% in November.
UK’s Target
The UK government aims to have 300,000 public EV chargers by 2030. At the same time, it is set to ban new ICE vehicle sales.
It is worth noting that the public EV chargers’ 30% growth in the UK is sufficient to achieve the abovementioned target. However, it would require them to further double installations annually to 19,000 by 2025.
Is the target really feasible?
Connected Kerb has announced a commitment to deploy 190,000 on-street chargers by 2030. He believes there will be a significant expansion in the country’s public EV chargers in 2023, but relevant sectors must cooperate.
“Scale remains the greatest challenge facing the EV industry, but installing in the right places where there is the greatest need is also critical. Collaboration between central government, local authorities, businesses and charging point operators is a prerequisite to unlocking the funding needed for a full transition, as is winning the hearts and minds of local communities about the benefits of electric vehicles.”
Connected Kerb CEP Chris Pateman-Jones
Rapid and ultra-rapid chargers
Rapid chargers can deliver a power of over 25 kilowatts (kW), while ultra-rapid chargers offer over 100kW. Within 30 minutes, it can increase the charge by up to 200 miles.
Zap-Map COO Melanie Shufflebotham claimed that “en route” rapid and ultra-rapid chargers were “going in at a pretty good rate.” In fact, the UK added about 1000 units in 2022.
Remarkably, major firms, including Tesla, Instavolt, Shell, and BP, penetrated UK’s ultra-rapid charger market.
Slower on-street chargers
Shufflebotham noted that the number of slower on-street chargers was rising “quite rapidly, but patchily.” In fact, 7,000 new “slow” or “fast” chargers with a 22kW maximum output were installed in the UK in 2022.
The widely diverse tactics taken by local authorities may, in part, be responsible for this occurrence. Nonetheless, inexpensive on-street chargers are essential for EV owners and potential buyers who do not have access to private off-street parking.
