Latest DfT statistics show a 34% increase in public EV chargers in the last 12 months, and an 8% increase since 1 July 2022.

Public EV chargers are on the increase

As of 1 October 2022, there were 34,637 public electric vehicle charging devices installed in the UK, within which:

Charging Speed:
• 6,395 were rated “rapid” devices or above
• 19,746 were rated “fast” chargers

Location:
• 17,179 were designated as “destination” chargers, this represents 50% of all charging devices
• 11,218 were designated as “on street” chargers, this represents 32% of all charging devices

Compared to 1 July 2022:
• total installed devices increased by 2,626, an increase of 8%
• rapid charging or above devices increased by 421, an increase of 7%
• there was an increase in total charging devices and those rated rapid or above in all regions of the UK, except the North East

Since 1 October 2021, the number of installed public devices has increased by 8,710, a 34% increase. The number of rapid charging or above devices increased by 30%, an additional 1,472 public devices installed.

Commenting on the findings, Jon Lawes, managing director for Novuna Vehicle Solutions, said: “There are now a million electric cars on UK roads. That’s a tremendous achievement, one that has taken many in the industry by surprise, but we cannot allow success to breed complacency. 2,626 new public chargepoints is more than we have seen installed in any comparable period in the past decade, but it is still not enough.

“Demand for public devices continues to rise considerably faster than supply. The ratio of ratio of vehicles to chargepoints has grown from 5:1 to 15:1 in just three years, and we forecast will hit 54:1 by 2030. Without an urgent acceleration of the Government’s EV infrastructure strategy under the new administration, we will be tied to petrol and diesel far longer than we need to be.”

Furthermore, Kim Royds, director of EVs at British Gas said: “The universal adoption of EVs will only happen if the supporting charging infrastructure is widely available and easily accessible. This means extending chargepoints beyond towns and cities and into all public spaces, including in rural and remote areas.

“Local councils have an important role to play in offering these provisions and helping to expand the UK’s EV charging infrastructure. Our research found that councils are planning to double publicly available chargepoints, with 16,500 to be installed over the next 12 months – a great step in towards an electric future.

“While this is encouraging, we must start to see more joined up investment across public spaces, privately owned-premises and at home charging if we want the roll out EVs to be successful.”

You can find the full Department for Transport EV charging device statistics here