Zapmap has published its H1 statistics for charge point installations in 2023 – giving a strong indication the UK will have over half a million charge points by year-end.

Charging hubs are opening at a significant rate

The latest figures show there were 44,408 public charging devices installed across the UK, as of the end of June 2023. This represents overall year-on-year growth of 36%.

But the figures also reveal that the rate of charge point installation has increased significantly.

Over the first half of 2022, an average of 891 charging devices were installed each month. But for the first half of 2023, this has risen to 1,622 – and this means the rate of installation has increased by around 82%. If the current rate of growth continues, Zapmap calculations indicate there will be more than 50,000 charge points in the UK by the end of the year.

The number of chargers available is only part of the picture, however. Breaking these latest figures down by power rating shows that almost 20% of current UK devices are rapid or ultra-rapid chargers, used for en-route charging when drivers want to recharge as quickly as possible. There were 8,680 of these types of chargers at the end of June.

Further analysis shows that the devices which demonstrate the highest year-on-year growth are ultra-rapid chargers.

At the end of June 2022 there were 1,803 ultra-rapid devices in the UK – the majority of which were Tesla Superchargers. But as of the end of June 2023, this stands at 3,493 ultra-rapid devices, the vast majority of which are open for public use. This represents an impressive 94% increase in the number of ultra-rapid chargers available.

Charging hubs – with six or more rapid/ultra-rapid chargers in one location – are also opening at a significant rate. At the end of June 2022, there were 79 of these but that’s gone up in the last year to over 170 ultra-rapid hubs, plus a further 77 Tesla Supercharger hubs.

Zapmap’s data also shows rises across all types of chargers being installed. As of the end of June 2023, more than half (56%) of devices are destination chargers, sited at places such as supermarkets or gyms to provide handy charging while parked. There were 25,102 of these chargers as of the end of last month, exhibiting year-on-year growth of 36%.

Around 24% of public charging devices are ‘slow’ chargers, predominantly found on residential streets to cater for those who can’t install home chargers. The number of these chargers has grown by 30% since June 2022, increasing from 8,184 to 10,626 at the end of June 2023.

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and COO at Zapmap, said: “It’s really encouraging to see the pace of charger installation across the UK grow by over 80% compared to this time last year. We know that the perceived lack of charge point infrastructure is a concern for those considering getting an electric car. These latest figures should go a long way to alleviate those concerns and give drivers confidence to make the switch.

“In particular, as we approach the summer holidays, having an additional 90 new charging hubs spread across the UK is a huge step up from last year, and will make a real difference for electric car drivers travelling long distances.

Varying approaches to regional rollout

Zapmap also looked at overall regional distribution for new charge points installed in the past year and found 36% went live in Greater London and the South East – but with distinct differences in what was installed within the two areas.

The South East, for example, saw high installations of all types of chargers across the board. Meanwhile, most of the chargers installed in Greater London (83%) were on-street chargers – and it was the only region to show a significant net increase in slow, on-street chargers – reflecting the area’s high concentration of relatively affluent households without off-street parking.

Other areas showed high growth from a low base. Wales, the West Midlands and the East of England, for instance, all showed increases of around 50% over the same period, with notable growth in both destination chargers as well as rapid and ultra-rapid chargers.

Zapmap also explored the distribution of the 1,690 new ultra-rapid devices installed across the UK in the past year. In total, nine of 12 geographical areas of the country saw more than 100 new ultra-rapid devices installed, with the South East seeing the most at 269.

In contrast, the North East and Wales saw only 61 and 62 new ultra-rapid chargers each, although this represented increases of 81% and 161% respectively. Northern Ireland saw the smallest number of ultra-rapids installed, with only 16. However, this was up from zero the previous year.

Zapmap said the figures show that while more certainly needs to be done, it is clear that the rollout of high-powered chargers is happening across the UK.

Melanie Shufflebotham continued: “All areas of industry need to continue to work together to make sure the rollout continues at pace across the whole UK as more and more electric car drivers take to the road.”

Commenting on the new figures, Jade Edwards, head of insights at Zapmap, said: “It’s great to see these latest figures because they can really help people to understand how the rollout of the UK’s charging infrastructure is playing out across the country.

“We know it can be difficult to see larger changes occurring from the ground. But from the rate of installation increasing through to the types of chargers being installed at a regional level, these statistics can help to give clarity on how the UK’s charging infrastructure is growing.”

Cornwall Insight publishes latest EV Country Attractiveness Index scores

Separate analysis published by Cornwall Insight and law firm Shoosmiths also shows significant progress in charging availability.

Their research finds that the UK now has one publicly accessible charge point for every 11.2 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on the road.

The figures have been used for their latest Electric Vehicle Country Attractiveness (EVCA) Index. This shows that the UK is still ranked in the middle of the EVCA Index despite growing availability of charging, with sales of electric vehicles declining over the past quarter.

And while Norway retains its spot atop the index, due to its highly developed BEV market, other nations such as the Netherlands and Spain have witnessed notable shifts in their rankings as they intensify their efforts to promote electric mobility.

The improvement in the ranking for the Netherland has been driven by the achievement of one publicly accessible charge point for every ~2.7 BEVs; far ahead of the UK’s metric.

Figure 1: EV Country Attractiveness Index scores and rankings

Jamie Maule, research analyst at Cornwall Insight, said: “Our neighbouring nations are leading the charge, with Norway and the Netherlands becoming pioneers of progress, armed with extensive charging networks and forward-thinking policies to raise the sale of EVs. As these countries surge ahead, their actions inspire a sense of urgency across the continent, which we hope can turn Europe into a haven for electric mobility and leave a lasting mark on the future of transportation worldwide.”