The official names for EV charging speeds have been changed to “modernise” them. What was once ‘slow’ charging (3kW to 7.9kW) is now known as ‘standard’, while the old ‘fast’ moniker (8kW to 49kW) has been changed to ‘standard plus’. Rapid (50kW to 149kW) and ultra-rapid (150kW+) ratings remain unchanged.
The move reflects the fact that when EVs first began to enter the mass market 14 years or so ago, a charging speed of over 8kW was seen as relatively fast. Technology – both for cars and chargers – has since moved on, with a sub-50kW charging speed now considered relatively slow.
The announcement comes from chargepoint mapping and payment firm Zapmap, which has an official agreement to supply chargepoint data with the Department for Transport.
Zapmap will also prioritise counting ‘chargers’ – IE individual leads – rather than ‘devices’ – IE a charging unit that may have one or more (typically two) leads in order to “more closely reflect the number of EVs that an be charged simultaneously”. The firm says a ‘charger’ can also be called an EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment).
The latest figures from Zapmap show as of February 2025 there are 118,321 chargers connected to 89,842 devices spread across 45,461 UK locations.
A total of 3.9m charging sessions are estimated to have been completed last month, equivalent to each device being used 1.55 times a day, or each lead being used once a day.
Some 1,592 new chargers, of which 452 were ultra-rapid, were installed last month, a 12.4% year-on-year growth.
Zapmap’s head of insights, Jade Edwards, comments:
“As the EV charging infrastructure develops in the UK, and we move towards more widespread adoption of EVs, changes to the way we report on growth, alongside a move towards more standardised terminology, help ensure that new and prospective EV drivers have a clear understanding of the charging options available to them.
“International comparisons of public network size are more easily and accurately made using the EV charger count as EV chargers are used as the standard metric throughout Europe and in many countries across the rest of the world.”
