A number of industry voices have claimed that fixating on the number of public chargepoints is a poor way of judging infrastructure readiness…
A Fixation with Charge Points?
When it comes to the UK’s readiness for a mass-transition to electric vehicles, the total number of the nation’s charge points is often at the heart of the discussion. However, an increasing number of industry voices are beginning to question whether the issue deserves to be so central.
Both BP Pulse and Cox Automotive have suggests that the nation’s readiness is more complex. Philip Northard, from the latter, said that concerns typically always concern whether the country has ‘enough’ charge points. However, information from Zap-Map, which monitors charging infrastructure, confirms that there are around 50,000 charge points in the UK and at 18,000 separate locations. For perspective, that’s more than double the amount of current petrol stations (which have been declining in number).
According to Northard, the rise of rapid chargers is an overlooked game changer. He said, “a single rapid or ultra-fast charger could easily be doing more work and delivering more energy than 50 or so on-street slow charging points”.
Tom Callow, head of insight and external affairs BP Pulse, shares the same view. He explained, “while the range figures for the earliest electric cars don’t seem too far off that of the earliest version of the world’s first mass-produced electric car in 2010 – the Nissan Leaf – that car offered something that none of those vintage electric cars could: rapid charging”. He added, “this was a game changer. The ability to charge quickly added around 100 miles of range in 30-45 minutes”.
UK is a ‘Mixed Landscape’
Callow has described the UK’s EV infrastructure as a ‘mixed landscape’. He said, “there are 50,000 public charging points in 18,000 locations; that’s before you start counting the UK’s 250,000 or so home and workplace charging points”.
He continued, “however, too much anxiety about charging infrastructure often seems to focus on whether there are ‘enough’ charging points; instead of considering if we have enough infrastructure by capacity. We have data as a starting point to help look at the charging infrastructure that can most effectively deliver the energy motorists will need”.
Perhaps, then, the debate around the nation’s EV readiness should be significantly broadened. Instead of focusing on the total number of chargers, their speed, locations and ease of use should all be factored in; as should the ease at which homes and work places can install their own infrastructure.
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