Regional charging infrastructure shortages are slowing down SMEs’ ability to switch to electric fleets and impacting their green ambitions.

On average, there is just one public charge point available for every 56 small businesses

Insurer Zurich UK mapped the number of publicly available EV charge points across the UK against the small business population and found, on average, there is just one public charge point available for every 56 small businesses.

It also warns of a postcode lottery. Small businesses in Greater Manchester have access to the fewest electric vehicle charge points, with 237 firms competing for every publicly available socket. This is followed by Essex (203 firms per charger) and Surrey (169 per charger).

On a regional level, there are also vast disparities, with 111 SMEs in Northern Ireland vying for each public charge point available. The North West averages 70 SMEs per charger, while the East of England averages 67 firms per charger.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, small businesses in Greater London have the lowest number of businesses per charge point at 23, followed by Scotland (32) and the North East (35).

With the lack of charger infrastructure potentially impacting on small firms’ ability to go electric – and missing out on ‘green’ savings – Zurich UK is calling on the Government to address the disparities as part of its levelling up agenda and to ensure a level playing field for organisations wanting to go electric.

Head of SME Will Edwards said: “SMEs have a huge and vital role to play in helping the UK reach the Government’s net zero carbon emissions target by 2050. With lower running costs and exemption from many charges that apply to combustion-engine vehicles, switching to an electric fleet should be an easy decision for SMEs. However, the shortage of charge points in many UK regions and counties could prevent SMEs from making the leap. Furthermore, regional disparities in access to charging infrastructure may hinder the ability of small firms to do business, or their desire to invest, in some parts of the UK.

“We need to see a levelling up of public charging infrastructure, so all businesses, irrespective of where they are located, can benefit from the EV revolution and also meet sustainability targets.”

Progress is being made though; latest Zap-Map stats show that at the end of September 2022, there were 34,860 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, across 20,888 charging locations. This represents a 35% increase in the number of charging devices since September 2021.

The number of sockets installed in UK workplaces via the Government’s Workplace Charging Scheme also saw a 60% jump during the last financial year (April 21-Mar 22), with over 10,000 new sockets installed in workplaces across the UK. However, some regions are stalling, and workplaces in the North East, Wales and Northern Ireland completed the least number of sockets installations through the grant – 1,198, 976 and 536 respectively.

Zurich is also advising businesses and local authorities to investigate their eligibility for grants through the Workplace Charging Scheme and the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.

Will Edwards continued: “We are committed to supporting SMEs as they respond to the electric vehicle revolution and make their day-to-day operations more sustainable. This includes enhancing our SME motor policy to futureproof cover for customers and meet the evolving needs of modern fleets.”