UK must ramp up public charger installation to keep pace with EV sales, says new report

The exponential growth of the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) market requires 40 to 50 charge points to be installed every day between now and 2035 to meet demand, according to a report by New AutoMotive, an independent transport research organisation founded in 2020 with a mission to support the switch to EVs.

Described as its first annual ‘State of Switch’ report, it claims to provide the most comprehensive overview of the transition to electric vehicles in the UK.

Its daily charge point installation estimate is based on predictions that the UK will need 230-280,000 public charge points by 2035.

The report sets out recommendations for meeting future net-zero targets and growing demand. It examines six different areas of the UK’s transition - the ratio of electric to internal combustion miles travelled, the number of electric vehicles on UK roads, trends in new car sales, vehicle ownership costs, growth in the charging infrastructure, and public policy developments.

Keys findings from the report include:

• Charging infrastructure
  • There are currently 24,000 public charging stations including over 4,000 rapid chargers in the UK.
  • Charge points installations need to catch up with the rapidly growing number of electric cars.
  • The UK requires 230,000-280,000 public charging devices by 2035 to meet demand.
• Net Zero targets
  • Based on current trends, hybrids would come to dominate the market with 70-80% share by 2027.
  • If this happens it would ruin the UK’s chances of hitting net zero targets.
• Growth in sales and usage
  • The number EVs on UK roads is growing rapidly and is at 250,000-plus.
  • The estimated no. of EV miles driven, as of 2020, is 1.65 billion.
  • EV sales have grown by 30% in the past 12 months.
• Cost savings
  • The typical UK motorist will save around £700 per year in fuel costs as a result of switching to an EV.

Gi Fernando, chair of New AutoMotive says: “The UK needs a rapid transition to electric cars to get ahead in the global race, bring down the cost of driving and to meet our environmental commitments. As our report finds, the UK has made great progress with sales of electric cars booming. But there remains a long way to go before every car on the road is electric.

“Until now data sources on electric cars have been incredibly scattered and difficult to interpret. This is why we’ve worked over the last year to create a comprehensive and independent summary analysing all relevant data in a single report.

“We’ve seen a huge uptake in EV sales over the past 12 months with sales rising by more than 30%. We hope by the time we publish the 2022 report reaching net zero emissions goals for the transport network will be firmly in our sights. These targets are achievable only if policy makers commit to the ‘electrification’ of UK roads and install the necessary infrastructure. We’re calling on all parties, industry, manufacturers and policy makers, to make significant commitments to support the continued uptake of EVs and increase investment in the infrastructure network.”