Less than a fifth of EV charging points in the UK are fast chargers

Published 11 November 2020

There are 19,487 public electric vehicle (EV) charging devices available in the UK, according to a recent report from the Department for Transport. Of these, only 3530 were rapid devices - meaning less than a fifth of chargers in the UK can top up EVs significantly in 30 minutes or less.

The report, which uses data from charging point platform Zap-Map, measured how many EV charging points are in the UK, how they're spread across the country and how many are rapid chargers.

Rapid devices are those whose fastest connector is rated at 43kW and above. From July to September 2020, 1222 more devices were available in total - with 324 of these being rapid devices.

Rapid charging devices are desirable because they dramatically reduce the time it takes to recharge an electric car's battery. A Nissan Leaf, for example, can recharge 80 per cent of its battery in around an hour from a 50kW rapid charger, while a 7kw charger would take over seven hours.

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Likewise, Kia says that a 50kW DC public charger will take an e-Niro or Soul EV from zero to 80 per cent in one hour 15 minutes, while a 100kW DC charger will do it in just 54 minutes.

London has the highest number of charging devices per 100,000 people but is slightly below average in terms of rapid charging devices. Scotland is above average in total devices per 100,000 and has the highest level of rapid device provision, too.

For context, London has 69 charging devices per 100,000 people, the North East has 32, Yorkshire and the Humber have 18 and the East of England has 20 charging points. Scotland has 37, while Wales has 21.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: "The rise in the number of charge points across the UK is very encouraging [...] But there’s still a way to go and the focus now needs to be on installing as many fast chargers as possible, given that less than a fifth of public chargers are rapid."

Comments

hissingsid on 11 November 2020

Even if you can find a public rapid charging point when you need one, there may be other cars waiting in front of you, so recharging may still take well over 30 minutes.
In over 50 years driving, one lesson I have learned is that it never pays to be among the first to embrace new technology. There is a long way to go before EV's become affordable and practical.

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conman on 17 November 2020

Buy a EV and save the planet !!
Great words if you believe the government, but do you think they will let you off scott free someone has to pay for the tax lost on the petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles and that will be us all.

Headlines today.
Drivers could soon be charged for EVERY mile they travel in 'poll tax on wheels'
ROAD charging schemes which could see road users charged for every mile they drive on UK roads would be a ‘poll tax on wheels', according to AA President Edmund King.

Last time Labour tried to implement a £1.30p per mile tax after you used up your allowance that was in 2007. That means your car will be fitted with a black box. Which I believe are being fitted to all 2022 vehicles by kind permission of the EU and of course the British government have agreed to sign up to as well.

EV free motoring, you must believe there are fairies at the bottom of your garden.

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conman on 17 November 2020

I live in Stockport and looking on Zap Map there are only 5 sites in the area. Joke or Joke.

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on 23 November 2020

100kw fast chargers thats equivalent of 100 1 bar electric fires, where is all the power going to come from????????

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asd7 on 23 November 2020

Of course we need rapid charging but I would not need to use rapid charging nearly so often if I could rely on there being a 7kW charging point at my destination. More car parks will need 7kW charge bays if we are all going to drive battery electric cars. These can be installed at a fraction of the cost of a rapid and would save drivers a lot of time. Who wants to spend even 30 minutes at a motorway service station when you could put the same, or more charge into your battery whilst doing what you came for in the first place, like visiting a town, business, friends or hotel? You only need to rapid-charge if your outward journey exceeds the range of your car. For most people, this will only be occasionally.

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J. Mike Rose on 23 November 2020

With all these cars charging on the street I would think vandals and thieves will have a 'Field Day.' I wonder what the second price of a charging cable is?

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Matelot1 on 24 November 2020

How about a report on the price charged for using these fast chargers. From what I can make out prices charged could/would make EVs more expensive than petrol/diesel plus a lot more time spent twiddling fingers by chargers.

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f1kwa on 24 November 2020

Hello friend, I was thinking of visiting you in my electric car, hello hello oh, I see, you’re not going to be in, how about I come in my Petrol car instead, ok then I’ll do that, it’ll cost you a lot less in electricity, maybe just a cuppa instead.....

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Steve McDermott on 25 November 2020

The UK does not have sufficient spare capacity in the National Grid to support a rapid shift to all electric vehicles and a large number of fast chargers in a given area will require significant local power infrastructure improvements to meet increasing demand. Simply if we all went electric tomorrow there is not enough generating resource to supply everyone so you first need to generate before you distribute. As electric vehicles become more popular and the demands on the grid increase beyond current capacity the taxation will be used to control this demand and generate revenue. Basic supply and demand economics.

Look at the way government has influenced and forced our fuel usage in the past, firstly get the consumer hooked by subsidy, environmental benefits etc. Then when a critical mass has been reached use tax to bring in revenue. I believe fast chargers will be targeted with higher tax in future as they are less efficient (fast but losses due to charging are higher) than slower conditioning chargers. History teaches us many lessons, governments never let up a taxation opportunity when they have invested money in something.

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