Milestone alert: UK speeds towards 100k public EV chargers
The number of EVs on our roads is growing at an electrifying rate! In fact, in April this year the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported that 11% more battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered in April 2024 compared to April 2023, with BEVs now taking a 16.9% market share in cars.
With more EVs hitting the road, the demand for top-notch public charging infrastructure is sky high. Luckily, a major milestone was hit last month, putting the UK well on its way to achieving an impressive public charging goal!
Lets get plugged in…
In 2022, the UK government committed to installing 100,000 public chargers across the UK by 2025.
The UK installed its 60,000th charger in April, bringing the mammoth challenge of 100,000 chargers closer to reality.
According to data from the UK Government’s Department for Transport (DfT) installation rates have been climbing since the start of 2024, with 6,000 charge points installed between January and April alone!
This huge milestone means that since 2022, the UK has doubled the amount of public chargers available.
Ready for some more good news? A quarter of the chargers installed in 2024 so far have been ultra-rapid, meaning more time cruising in your EV, and less time waiting to charge!
Looking to the future
Based on the current rate of installation, we are set to smash the target set of 100,000 chargers, potentially as soon as summer 2025, but what’s next, and what is being done to keep the momentum going?
The UK government has laid out an ambitious plan: to roll out a staggering 300,000 chargers nationwide by 2030. With next year's milestone pegged at 100,000, it's a sprint to the finish line to deploy 200,000 chargers in less than five years
In March 2022, the stage was set for a shift in the EV landscape with the unveiling of theElectric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, backed by a whopping £1.6 billion investment! The investment includes the £950 million Rapid Charging Fund, a game-changer aimed at turbocharging the installation of 6,000 super-fast chargers along the stretches of UK motorways.
A cornerstone of this strategy is the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, designed to support projects such as EV charging hubs and innovative on-street charging solutions. Local councils can apply for grants from the £450 million allocated to the LEVI fund, enabling them to enhance access to public charging in their areas.
We're genuinely excited to witness this rapid expansion of public charging, and we're eagerly awaiting what comes next. With over 700,000 chargers already buzzing on our global network, we're definitely advocating for even speedier rollouts. Watch this space!
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