UK hits major milestone of 10,000 high-powered electric vehicle charge points

The UK has officially passed 10,000 rapid and ultra-rapid electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the road network.

According to the new data from Zapmap, the milestone installation was a rapid device installed at Sedbergh Leisure Centre in Bradford.

The data show that there are now over 10,000 high-powered charging devices installed across 5,000 UK charging locations.

Further analysis of the statistics show that the overall rate of charge point installation is also increasing.

Zapmap’s reporting showed that in November 2022, the overall growth of the UK’s public network stood at 34% year-on-year. However, this year, that figure has risen to 45%.

With electric vehicles increasing in popularity in the UK, the number of chargers needs to keep up with demand.

Following the news of the 10,000th rapid and ultra-rapid installation, it shows an ‘encouraging growth in a critical area of the country’s public network’ according to Zapmap.

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The company’s data has shown that the power rating of the charge points being installed is increasing, with devices of 100kW or more becoming increasingly found across the country.

At the end of 2020, the 788 devices in the UK of 100kW or more accounted for 20% of the country’s high-powered chargers.

However, in early December 2023, there are now 4,504 devices of 100kW or over.

This now accounts for 45% of high-powered devices across the country.

The timeline of the milestone installations also highlights an acceleration in the rate of high-power charge point installation over recent years.

In January 2021, for instance, the UK hit 4,000 high-powered devices, followed by the 6,000 mark in June 2022. In May 2023, the UK surpassed 8,000 high-power devices.

Following the release of the data, Melanie Shufflebotham, Co-founder & COO at Zapmap, said: “Hitting the 10,000 high-powered charging devices mark is really important for electric car drivers across the country. Having surpassed 8,000 rapid and ultra-rapid devices as recently as May 2023, it’s fantastic to see this latest milestone arrive just in time for Christmas.

“The availability of more than 5,000 charging locations with rapid or ultra-rapid chargers spread right across the country, many of which are hubs, will give drivers confidence to drive electric wherever they go during the festive period.”

What do you make of the news of the 10,000th installation? What more can be done to help in the transition to electric vehicles? Leave your comments below.