Electric vehicle adoption in the UK is growing faster than ever, with some estimates now claiming that most of the country will be driving an EV ahead of the government’s 2030 deadline.
But while many of us are enjoying cheaper and cleaner driving, there are warning signs ahead for a market which has run faster than local authorities can keep up with. For while many of us are fortunate to enjoy charging straight into our vehicle from a specially installed point at our homes, many millions more will require specially adapted kerbside solutions.
In a report ‘How to meet the UK’s EV charging needs by 2030, Connected Kerb, a company dedicated to providing public charging solutions, has said that easy access charging will be required on ‘virtually every residential street’.
“The industry is migrating from early adopters, tolerant of patchy performance, to a mass market of mainstream drivers that rightly expect consistent high performance,” said Chris Pateman-Jones, chief executive of Connected Kerb.
“This demands a radical change of mindset amongst national and local government, investors, developers, and charging point providers.”
The report said that demand is now far outstripping supply for public chargers, with the ratio of charge points to cars falling by 31 per cent in 2020, the current ratio is 16:1, putting the UK behind European countries such as Holland (5:1), France (10:1) and Belgium (13:1).
The report from Connected Kerb says more needs to be done to lower the ratio before consumer confidence in the EV market is affected.
“Consumer research released as part of the report indicates that the demands of drivers require affordable and easy-to-access chargers to be installed on virtually every residential street across the UK – with 80% of respondents saying that reliable and affordable chargers located where their car is parked while at home is ‘essential’ or ‘very important’ to their decision on switching to an EV.”