Government fails to hit motorway EV charger target

Out of 119 motorway services examined by the RAC and listed on Zapmap, only 46 (39%) have achieved the target of more than six chargers over 50kW, necessary for the UK’s expanding battery-electric vehicle fleet, anticipated to surpass one million by the end of 2023. As of the end of April, the count of rapid chargers has increased from 27 (23%) to 46.

Since the end of spring, an additional 178 high-powered chargers have been installed at motorway services. Notably, over 400 ultra-rapid chargers are now available at these services, meaning more than half (55%) offer some of the fastest charging speeds. However, 18 service areas lack rapid charging above 50kW, and alarmingly, four have no public charging facilities: Leicester Forest on both sides of the M1, Tebay South on the M6, and Barton Park on the A1(M).

There are nearly 700 (693) Combined Charging System (CCS) connectors at the 101 services with high-powered charging, a 48% increase of 225 connectors. For CHAdeMO connectors, mainly used by Nissan and Renault electric cars, there are almost 300 (282), a 32% rise since April. Seventy percent of all high-power motorway charging is now ultra-rapid, greatly reducing charging time for drivers.

Positively, 14 services in England now have more than 12 such devices, up from six in spring. The Moto-run services at Exeter on the M5 boast the highest number of high-powered chargers, with 24 devices. On average, there are five (4.9) devices at all 119 service areas in England, an increase from 3.4 at the end of April.

The Government’s objective, detailed in its 'Taking charge: the electric vehicle infrastructure strategy' published on 25 March 2022, was to facilitate the installation of high-powered chargers on strategic roads through the £950m Rapid Charging Fund. However, it wasn’t until early December 2023 that the Government announced a £70m grant for a pilot scheme to upgrade 10 motorway service stations.

As of November 2023, Zapmap statistics show the UK has 53,029 charging devices, with 19% (9,992) being rapid or ultra-rapid. RAC’s research indicates that only 6% (581) of these high-powered chargers are located at motorway services. The Government anticipates about 300,000 public chargers of all types by 2030 and more than 6,000 high-powered chargers along strategic roads by 2035. The Competition and Markets Authority’s report 'Building a comprehensive and competitive electric vehicle charging sector that works for all drivers' estimates a need for 280,000-480,000 public charge points by 2030.

Simon Williams, RAC EV spokesperson, commented: “It’s evident from our research that the Government has notably failed to reach its target of six high-powered chargers at every motorway service area in England. Nonetheless, considerable progress has been made since our last survey in April, with 39% of services now meeting or surpassing the target, compared to just under a quarter (23%) eight months earlier.

“There's a keen interest among charge point companies and motorway service operators to install these units. However, connecting to the high-power grid often presents a significant barrier beyond their control.

“There's a clear need for simplifying this process. The Government’s Rapid Charging Fund, once fully operational, might address some of these challenges.

“We maintain that the widespread availability of ultra-rapid charging is essential for giving current and potential EV drivers the confidence for efficient long-range travel.”