Electric vehicles may be selling faster than ever, but Britain’s charging infrastructure is not being updated fast enough to meet demand according to a new report.
A daily average of 27 new public charging points were installed last year according to analysis from transport research group, New Automotive. But that figure needs to rise to at least 50 new charge points per day if the UK is to meet its target of having 230,000 chargers by 2035.
As the UK moves closer to banning sales of new petrol and diesel engines by 2030, New Automotive estimates that the EV buying public will need access to at least 230,000 in order to meet demand. Currently there are 10 EVs for every public charger, and though that is a higher ratio than EU guidelines, there are worries that a lack of access to charging may stall the public’s confidence in buying an EV.
“The UK needs a rapid transition to electric cars to get ahead in the global race, bring down the cost of driving and to meet our environmental commitments,” said Gi Fernando, chair of New Automotive.
“As our report finds, the UK has made great progress with sales of electric cars booming. But there remains a long way to go before every car on the road is electric.
“We've seen a huge uptake in EV sales over the past 12 months with sales rising by more than 30 per cent.
“We hope by the time we publish the 2022 report reaching net zero emissions goals for the transport network will be firmly in our sights.”
Much of the weight of expectation is currently placed on cash-strapped local authorities to deliver the EV charging infrastructure, however, Fernando is calling on all stakeholders to step up. He said: “We're calling on all parties, industry, manufacturers and policy makers, to make significant commitments to support the continued uptake of EVs and increase investment in the infrastructure network.”