The number of public EV charging devices in the UK has increased by 37% in the last year, reaching 28,375 devices as of 1 January 2022.

The UK had 28,375 public EV charging devices as of 1 January 2022

Zap-Map’s newly published figures reveal that an extra 7,600 devices were deployed in the year from 1 January 2021. This includes an additional 1,276 public rapid charging devices, increasing the total 33%, from 3,889 devices to 5,165.

The data for Q3 2021 also reveals that compared to 1 October 2021, available devices increased by 2,448 as of 1 January 2022; a rise of 9%.

But the report warns there is still an uneven geographical distribution of charging devices within the UK, meaning the ‘postcode lottery’ over charging continues.

And while grants are available for local authorities, most of the provision of this infrastructure has been market-led, with individual charging networks and other businesses (such as hotels) choosing where to install devices.

While some local authorities have bid for government funding for charging devices, others have not, and this is reflected in the geographical spread of charging.

Looking at the breakdown of public charging devices per population, the UK as a whole has 42 devices per 100,000 people. This breaks down into 52 per 100,000 of population for Scotland, 43 for England, 33 for Wales and 18 for Northern Ireland.

Among the regions, London, unsurprisingly, comes out top with 102 devices per 100,000 of population, followed by the South East (39), North East (36) and South West (35). At the other end of the scale, the North West has just 24 devices per 100,000 of population; almost half that of the UK as a whole.

It’s a similar picture for rapid charging. Across the UK, there are an average 7.7 public rapid charging devices per 100,000 of population. Scotland is way ahead with a figure of 12.9, followed by 7.5 for England, 5.3 for Wales and 1.2 for Northern Ireland.

Among the regions, the North East and South West jointly have the highest average, with 8.6 public rapid charging devices per 100,000 of population, followed by the West Midlands with 8.3, London with 8.0 and the South West with 7.9.

Increases in all regions

All regions across the UK saw an increase in total charging devices between 1 October 2021 and 1 January 2022. London had the greatest increase at 16.4%, whilst Northern Ireland and the North West had the smallest increases at 3.9% and 4.6% respectively. London also had the greatest increase in absolute number of devices at 1,292 devices, contributing to more than half of the increase in devices across the UK.

Rapid charging devices also increased in every region in the UK in Q3 2021. The smallest percentage increase in the number of rapid devices was in the North East at 0.4%. East Midlands had the largest percentage increase in rapid devices at 7.5%, corresponding to an increase of 26 rapid devices.

Commenting on the figures, Ben Foulser, head of future mobility, at KPMG UK, said: “As electric vehicle adoption rises, it’s encouraging to see more public charging points installed. But there’s no doubt that the pace of delivery will have to increase in order to both cope with the demand of the coming years, and to convince others to transition to EVs.

“It’s also vital that any use of public funding to de-risk investment by the private sector is targeted and successful. This includes development of commercially attractive portfolios that incorporate rural and smaller sites, enabling a just transition to zero emission mobility across the UK.”