Current charging infrastructure
While the UK’s charging network might have taken a while to get off the ground, leaving some motorists with the perception that charging points are hard to come-by, in 2023 this could not be further from the truth.
In fact, EV charging points have outnumbered petrol stations in the UK since early 2019, and because the network has continued to expand, they now outnumber petrol stations by almost ten to one. This is great news for business motorists, who can now travel around the whole of the UK by EV, without fear of being left stranded.
Where are the UK’s public chargers?
If you are not currently an EV driver, it may not seem like there are many charging points, as they are not as easy to spot as a traditional petrol station (although many larger petrol stations now have charging points within them). In fact, charging points are located all over towns, cities and service stations across the country. With nearly 78,000 chargers on over 50,000 devices spread across around 30,000 locations, finding public charging for an EV really has never been so easy. Better still, there are thousands of new charging points being added to the network every month, so it’s only getting easier and easier to drive an electric car, with supply far outstripping demand.
The network is not just expanding, it is getting faster too. In 2019 there were 2400 rapid (25-99kW) and 470 ultra rapid (100kW+) chargers in the UK, but there are now 5,400 and nearly 4,000 respectively. This means that not only is it easier to find charging, but it takes less time to get back on the road.
Contrary to another myth, it’s not the case that most of the chargers are only found in London either. While it’s true that 46.5% of all chargers are located in Greater London over 30% of the UK’s population lives in this area as well. By comparison, Scotland has just 8% of the UK’s residents but 8.5% of its chargers – so in either case, overcrowding, or a lack of availability, should never be an issue.
Finding a charger the easy way
If you are planning a longer journey, then you will find that most of the charging locations are to be found along main roads and in towns across the UK. If you want to find out how many EV charging points are available in your area, or along routes that you travel often, then the best way to get an idea of the available charging points is via a charging locator app, such as the brilliant, and free ZapMap.
Available on a desktop, or via a free downloadable app, ZapMap not only shows you where the chargers are in any area, but also give you all the details you will need on what type of charger is found there, its charging speeds and if that charger is currently available.
Explore ZapMap and the UK’s charging network here: https://www.zap-map.com/live/
