‘Significant acceleration’ of EV charge point rollout

There has been a “significant acceleration” in the installation rate of electric vehicle charge points since the turn of the year.

Figures released by charge point mapping service Zapmap reveal that the UK has now surpassed 60,000 public charging points.

In addition, the overall rate of installation in the first four months of 2024 has increased by almost 37% compared with the average across 2023.

The first four months of the year have seen an average of more than 1,900 devices installed every month, up from the 2023 average of 1,400 per month.

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and COO at Zapmap, said: “Hitting 60,000 public charging devices is an extremely significant milestone for electric car drivers across the country.

“This is really just the crest of the wave. There’s a real momentum behind the increased rate of charge point installations up and down the country.

“Without a doubt, it is great news for electric car drivers that not only the sheer number but also the variety of charging options are improving every month.”

The increased installation rate has been driven by particularly strong growth in two key areas of the country’s charge point infrastructure.

Zapmap’s statistics show that the number of ultra-rapid devices – designed for en-route charging – has increased by 135% since April 2023, with 4,988 of these devices now installed across the country.

Over the same time period, the number of low-powered devices on residential streets, used primarily for overnight charging, has increased by more than 54%.

Looking ahead, given the current rate of installation, Zapmap’s calculations show that the UK is likely to reach 100,000 public charging devices as early as August 2025.

Jade Edwards, head of insights at Zapmap, said: “It’s fantastic to see that the strong pace of charger installations we saw last year is already being exceeded in 2024.

“These latest figures show encouraging growth right across the charging spectrum, from the lowest-powered charge points at the end of your street through to the speediest ultra-rapids on the motorway.

“With more than 135% growth in the number of the highest-powered chargers over the last year, and 343 high-powered charging hubs across the country at the end of April, the UK is well on the way to hitting 100,000 public charging devices in summer 2025.”

While prime minister Rishi Sunak recently relaxed the phase-out date for internal combustion engine cars and vans from 2030 to 2035, the UK still has targets of 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by the turn of the decade.

Part of Sunak’s justification for delaying the ban on petrol and diesel cars was the speed of the EV charging rollout, which he claimed had “failed to move at the necessary speed” to put the required charging points in place.

Earlier this year, the government outlined streamlined permitting rules for EV charge point installations, to give charge point operators the right to carry out street works using a permit instead of a licence, as currently happens.