An expert has predicted that the UK will see the “floodgates open” with the installation of new on-street electric vehicle chargers installed in the near future.
Private companies are racing to install enough public electric vehicle chargers to ensure drivers can continue their journeys and give other motorists the confidence to switch to an EV.
The Government is aiming to install 300,000 electric vehicle charging points by the end of the decade to ensure that the country can meet the rising demand for EVs.
According to the Zapmap database, there are 53,906 chargers across 31,000 different locations, with 877 new devices added in December 2023.
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Experts are predicting that the number of public EV chargers will explode in the coming years
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Local authorities and councils can work with the Government through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (Levi) fund to get additional support with EV chargers.
This will help them plan and deliver charging infrastructure for residents without off-street parking.
The fund comprises of funding to support the delivery of chargers and further investment to ensure that local authorities have the staff and capability to plan and deliver charging infrastructure.
Ian Johnston, founder and CEO of Osprey Charging, has highlighted the Levi fund as being critical to the development of national charging infrastructure.
He said: “We're going to start to see the opening of the floodgates for local authority chargers.
“With the Levi scheme, there have been delays in the past, but there’s a real focus now to get those projects moving; to get the local authorities the resources they need in terms of having project staff on the ground to get these projects developed and delivered.
“When the Levi scheme properly gets motoring later this year, then you’re going to see quite a shift,” he told Autocar.
Experts have predicted that drivers across the UK will see the installation of the 100,000th EV charger in 2025 and remain hopeful of 300,000 chargers by 2030.
The UK also recently installed its 10,000th rapid or ultra-rapid charger in the final months of 2023.
Ian Johnstone predicted that the number of EV chargers would continue to spike in the coming years with “thousands upon thousands of on-street chargers coming”.
He continued, saying: “That part of the market hasn't been able to move quick enough because there have been the cogs of the Levi machine.
“The approvals and the tenders obviously take longer than a private firm, who can run a short tender between three or four rapid [charger] providers, make a choice and get going straight away.”
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There are more than 50,000 EV chargers across the UK
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A number of other companies have been supporting initiatives to increase the number of EV chargers seen on the streets, including BT Group.
It plans to transport old street cabinets into electric vehicle charging points, with the potential to install up to 60,000 new devices.
Trials of the chargers have already begun in East Lothian, Scotland, with further pilots set to be rolled out across the UK over the coming months.