Almost half of England’s 114 motorway service areas have six or more electric vehicle (EV) chargers offering speeds of at least 150kW. Meanwhile, 54% have at least half a dozen chargers providing 50kW or over, according to data from the RAC and Zapmap.
While the motoring organisation has welcomed the “great progress” in the roll-out of fast-charging capabilities, the totals still fall far short of a target set in 2022 by the previous government to have six or more chargers delivering 50kW at every English motorway service area by the end of last year.
Since then, says Zapmap, that ambition has been eclipsed by the arrival on the market of even faster chargers, with almost two-thirds (73 sites) offering at least one 150kW-plus charger.
Zapmap, which provides an app to help drivers locate EV charging locations, says that 200 of these ultra-rapid chargers have been installed at motorway services this year.
There are now six services that have at least 12 150kW-plus devices: Reading M4 east and west; Cobham M25; Exeter M5; Gloucester M5 north; and Frankley M5 south. Frankley and Reading have the most with 28 and 25, respectively.
The research does not include Tesla chargers, which are mostly available only to drivers of that car brand, although the US auto firm is now allowing drivers of any make to use some of their devices.
When it comes to the slower 50kW chargers, each motorway services has an average of seven chargers – there are 818 devices in total. For ultra-rapid chargers, there is an average of five per site.
However, that does not mean that every service area offers EV charging. Four do not have any provision over 50kW. Two of these, says Zapmap – Leicester Forest East M1 north and south, which are operated by Welcome Break – have said they have struggled to bring sufficient power to their sites, but are hoping to install ultra-rapid chargers next year. Sedgemoor M5 north and Telford M54 are still waiting for high-powered connections to the grid, although Gridserve has said it hopes to install chargers at Sedgemoor next year.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams says: “Although the previous government’s target of having six high-powered chargers over 50kW at every motorway services in England was undoubtedly missed, it’s very clear that great progress is being made regardless and, in some locations, the number of chargers provided is now extremely impressive.
“It is particularly encouraging to see so many ultra-rapid chargers being installed. As we’ve long said, this is just what’s needed to give current and prospective EV drivers the reassurance to know they can get back on the road quickly when making long journeys beyond the range of their cars.”
Zapmap co-founder and chief operating officer Melanie Shufflebotham says: “There has been a huge investment in charging at motorway services areas over the past couple of years by chargepoint operators and motorway service providers. The increase in number of high-powered charging at motorway service areas since the beginning of the year has been impressive. We know from our surveys and data that motorway service areas are very popular, convenient charging locations, and as more people make the switch to electric, it is important that there is sufficient visible provision at every motorway service area.”
