UK hits 60,000 EV charge point milestone
Zapmap predicts UK will reach 100,000 public charging devices by August 2025
The number of charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK has now surpassed the 60,000 mark, as the rate of installation accelerated in the first four months of 2024.
In an update on Friday, charge point mapping service Zapmap hailed a significant acceleration in the rate of charge point installation across the country.
The company said roughly 1,900 charge points were installed each month for the first four months of 2024, marking a significant increase on the average of 1,400 a month achieved during 2023.
The 60,000 milestone comes just six months after the UK celebrated reaching 50,000 charge points across the country.
Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and chief operating officer at Zapmap, said hitting 60,000 public charging devices was an "extremely significant milestone" for electric car drivers.
"This is really just the crest of the wave," she said. "There's a real momentum behind the increased rate of charge point installations up and down the country.
"Without a doubt, it is great news for electric car drivers that not only the sheer number but also the variety of charging options are improving every month."
The mapping service said it now expects the UK to have 100,000 public charging devices installed by August 2025.
Zapmap said the growth in the number of charge point installations has been driven in large part by ultra rapid devices designed for en-route charging and low-powered devices installed on residential streets and used primarily for overnight charging. The two market segments grew by 135 per cent and 54 per cent, respectively.
"These latest figures show encouraging growth right across the charging spectrum, from the lowest-powered charge points at the end of your street through to the speediest ultra-rapids on the motorway," said Jade Edwards, head of insights at Zapmap."With more than 135 per cent growth in the number of the highest-powered chargers over the last year, and 343 high-powered charging hubs across the country at the end of April, the UK is well on the way to hitting 100,000 public charging devices in summer 2025."
The update came just ahead of today's release of the latest auto industry monthly sales figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which revealed a "brighter month" for the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market following several months of lower than expected growth.
BEV sales in April rose 10.7 per cent year-on-year to secure a 16.9 per cent market share, which marked a significant increase on last April's 15.4 per cent.
Sales of hybrids and plug-in hybrids also performed strongly, enjoying year-on-year growth of 16.7 per cent and 22.1 per cent, respectively.
However, the SMMT warned the bulk of the demand for new EVs continued to come from the corporate market, with fewer than one in six new BEVs bought in April going to consumers.
The performance will continue to fuel concerns manufacturers are off track to meet targets set under the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate for 22 per cent of new vehicles sold to be zero emission models this year. As such, the industry has repeatedly urged the government to mirror policies available in other European markets and introduce grants or tax breaks to help drive public demand for EVs.
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