There have been plenty of conversations about how the UK is going to cope when inevitably all domestic vehicles turn electric. One of the biggest questions is regarding the public charging network. Despite this continuously growing, are there enough charge points for motorists buying an electric vehicle?
What are some issues?
While the UK has been quick to rollout public EV charge points, some may argue this isn’t quick enough. Designing, building and installing a nationwide network of charging infrastructure is sure to take some time.
It’s true that initially the UK wasn’t overly fast, but now we are seeing a massive increase in public chargers being installed month by month. According to ZapMap, in 2016 there were only just over 6,500 public charge points available. Of these 6,500, there were only 823 rapid and 150 ultra-rapid charge points.
That following year, there had only been an additional 1,600 charge points installed across the UK. We really didn’t see EV infrastructure properly take off in the UK until 2020 when over 20,000 public charge points were now available.
Considering the extremely slow growth in the first few years, the UK has somehow managed to keep up with a speedy installation of infrastructure. Now, there are over 30,000 charge points in nearly 20,000 different locations. In March 2022 alone, there were 878 new charge points added across the UK. So what’s changed?
The UK’s road to net zero!
In November 2020, the Government announced their plans to lead the country to a clean, carbon neutral future. A big part of this is the planned ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles which will come into force in 2030.
While other methods of transport, such as walking and cycling, are the cleanest options for our environment, it’s clear that EVs are the only viable green alternative to domestic travel. In March 2022, the Government committed to increasing the roll out of EV chargers once again.
This time, they have set a target to have 300,000 available public charge points across the UK by 2030. This will increase the number by more than 10 times, and invest a further £450 million into EV infrastructure.
We’re also seeing a huge increase in the rollout of rapid and ultra-rapid charge points, both of which can charge an EV much quicker. In the first three months of 2022, there were 412 new rapid or ultra-rapid charging points installed. Many of these can be found in convenient locations, such as supermarkets, fast food restaurants and cafes.
So has the EV infrastructure improved enough to remove any fears around buying an electric vehicle? We think so! Although we know the UK has a long way to go with its EV development, it’s certainly a lot easier to charge an EV on the go than it ever was before.
Don’t forget – EVs also have much larger ranges than they did a few years ago! This means, you’ll probably be topping up less anyway.
Electric vehicles sales in 2022
The automotive industry has been struggling since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. Of course, a lot of people weren’t ever considering buying an electric vehicle, or any vehicle for that matter, during the first lockdowns. Instead, the whole world learnt to live without cars and began walking a lot more.
While some businesses are permanently working from home, the majority of employees are back in the workplace – meaning they’re back to driving to work. The pandemic also made a lot of people aware of the damage climate change is doing to the planet, and our health.
However, the automotive industry as a whole has struggled with supply chain shortages of chips – a crucial component of any vehicle. Overall, car sales are much lower than they were pre-pandemic.
But, there are some positives. Despite March 2022 being the lowest month since 1998 in terms of new car sales, somehow there has been a huge surge in the sale of new electric cars. In fact, more new electric cars were sold in March 2022 than during the whole of 2019.
Buying an electric vehicle today!
If you’re ready to make the switch to an electric vehicle, you’re in the right place! We have a huge range of both new and used electric vehicles available here. You can contact our team of EV experts on 01634 914 063 or via mail@evisionsales.co.uk for more information.
* All information correct as of 20/04/2022.
