The network of electric vehicle charging points in the UK is growing

The network of electric vehicle charging points in the UK is growing

While the interest in electric vehicles (EVs) grows, with over half of younger drivers saying they’re likely to go electric, one barrier for a lot of people is the perceived lack of available charging points.

In reality, as of July 2021, there were over 24,000 public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK. As the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars will come into force in 2030, the number of EVs on the road is likely to increase, as will the need for more charging points.

One potential solution is innovative ideas like the portable electric-car charger that’s set to launch in 2023.

Thankfully, the network of on-street EV charging stations is growing. As we reported, the EV Charging Action Plan for Wales will mean charging points every 20 miles on important transport networks across Wales by 2025.

Across the UK, there are plenty of plans to add new electric car charging points to the existing network. We’ve collected together a few examples to show how charging an electric car will become easier and “range anxiety” will be a thing of the past.

Government investment will mean 300,000 public chargers across the UK by 2030

On the 25th of March 2022, the UK government announced plans to boost the network of EV charging points.

The Department for Transport has pledged £1.6 billion to reach a target of 300,000 public chargers by 2030. That’s a tenfold increase on the current number and almost five times the amount of fuel pumps that are on our roads today.

The money will help to bring public charge points to communities across the UK. It will also boost projects like EV hubs and on-street charging, so those without driveways won’t miss out either.

Change in the law means all new homes and buildings will have an EV charger

In 2019, the government proposed plans for a new law that would mean all new-build houses would have an EV home charger. The plan also covers new buildings like supermarkets and workplaces.

As well as new homes and buildings, large-scale renovations of existing buildings with over 10 parking spaces would also be required to install electric car charging stations.

Set to be introduced in 2022, this change to the law could mean up to 145,000 extra charging points across England.

Photo showing a row of cars charging

New plans for EV charging points across the UK

Rushcliffe Borough Council in Nottinghamshire is opening a new solar-powered hub that could charge up to 100 electric vehicles a day.

London boroughs in Newham, Brent and Redbridge have teamed up with Uber to install 700 fast EV chargers. This is the first time that boroughs have worked directly with a ride-hailing company to install chargers on London’s streets. They’ll be Uber branded and available for everyone to use.

In March 2022, 82 residential on-street electric car charging stations went live across west and north Northamptonshire. Two councils partnered with Liberty Charge and Virgin Media O2 to launch the new charge points at 14 locations. This followed a similar scheme in February 2022, where 35 sites across Wandsworth will feature charging points that are able to charge 130 vehicles at any one time.

And Shell Recharge Solutions hit a milestone in February 2022 when they reached 10,000 public EV chargers across their UK network.

More EV charge points means happier EV drivers

An increase in the UK network of electric car charging points can only be a good thing. It will certainly help to ease any concerns that people might have about how far you can drive an electric car.

But this is just the start, you can expect to see further investment and an ever-growing network of EV charging stations on our streets.

If you want to find out more about how you can join the EV revolution, come and speak to the plug-in car experts at Nathaniel Cars.

You can fill in the “Ask our EV Experts” form, or pop into our Cardiff and Bridgend showrooms to see our range of electric cars for yourself.

Ask Our EV Experts

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DISCOVER YOUR POTENTIAL REDUCTION IN FUEL COST WITH THE COMPARISON CALCULATOR

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Weekday
Miles per day
150
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weekend
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150
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Your vehicle cost
Fuel cost
1.30
Weekly average consumption
40
Electricity cost
0.12
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Estimated reduction in fuel cost over 4 years*
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Total Miles Per Year: 52,500
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