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The gap between electric vehicles and charge points has more than doubled in some regions
03 July 2023
The gap between the number of plug-in vehicles on UK roads and public charger availability increased year on year between 2021 and 2022.
In some regions, the number of plug-in vehicles per public charger has more than doubled and the gap widened in all but one region in 2022.
The figures, obtained by The Times Newspaper, show that on average there were 36 electric cars on the road to every standard public charger last year, compared with 31 at the end of 2021.
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal the number of plug-in vehicles per standard public charging point by region in 2022 were as follows:
- East of England –56
- East Midlands – 37
- London – 11
- North East –18
- Northern Ireland – 43
- North West – 85
- Scotland – 18
- South East – 66
- South West – 78
- Wales – 19
- West Midlands – 30
- Yorkshire and the Humber – 61
SMMT Chief Mike Hawes says that the growing number of EVs on the road is outpacing the installation of public charge points and that EV driver experience could get ‘worse before it gets better’ by the chief executive of the SMMT.
Mike Hawes also suggested that some EV drivers are switching back to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles because they ‘can’t live with the anxiety’ around where they can find a charge point.
Currently, there are an estimated 1.1 million electric vehicles in the UK and from 2024, manufacturers will be mandated on the number of zero emissions vehicles they sell. The mandate will start at 22 per cent of sales and rise to 28 per cent 2025, 80 per cent in 2030 and 100 per cent in 2035.
Worryingly, there have also been reports that some manufacturers have exaggerated the range of their vehicles. Consumer watchdog Which? Found that, upon testing more than 70 electric vehicles, their range was on average 20 per cent less than states on the manufacturer’s website.
On a more reassuring note, recent figures from the AA show that the number of EV breakdowns resulting from depleted batteries has halved in the past two years. AA President Edmund King said that this suggested range anxiety does not match reality.
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