A new study has warned that an additional 83,500 charging points will be required in the UK by 2020 to meet demand from electric vehicles (EVs).

Data science and software company Emu Analytics has published a White Paper titled ‘A Sustainable Future. Preparing for Electric Vehicles’, which reports that to date there are 16,500 charging points in the UK.

It also highlights the need for rapid chargers and warns that the current ratio of 43 electric vehicles for every rapid charger in the UK is not sustainable.

The key findings of the White Paper include:

• by 2020 there will be more than one million electric vehicles;

• the majority of pure EVs have a range of between 100 and 200 miles (although real world figures are less) so the requirement for a charging network is critical to the roll out of EVs;

• as of May 2018 there were 9,600 public chargers (and approximately 16,500 connectors) in just over 5,700 locations across the UK;

• charge times range from 85% charge in 30 minutes (rapid charge) to full charge in eight hours (slow charge) and there are only 1,500 rapid chargers and 3,400 connectors across the UK;

• As of May 2018, with 150,000 registered EVs in the UK, there are 43 EVs for every rapid charging connection across the UK which is not sustainable;

• currently only 3% of supermarkets (preferred charger locations) have a charging point with Asda having the best coverage at 19% of their stores with chargers. Only 0.4% of Tesco stores offer chargers. Lidl has the highest number of rapid chargers at just 11.

• Newcastle has one of the best EV charger ratios with 1.45 cars per charger;

• Peterborough has the worst charger ratio with 485 cars per charger;

• according to data from the Open Charge Map and the National Charge Point Registry, 7% of local authorities have less than two chargers and 2% have no charging infrastructure at all. The City of London and Westminster are the best equipped with over 200 charging locations.

Richard Vilton, CEO of Emu Analytics, commented: “Ultimately the UK, by investing in the right way early, has the opportunity to be a global leader in electric vehicles, benefiting businesses, towns, cities and communities by preparing for a sustainable future.”

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