Inside the industry: It's time to cut charging networks some slack
UK has 13,709 public charging stations, best estimates suggest
Sure, the shortcomings are many, but between market forces, amalgamation and opportunity, our much-maligned networks are gunning along pretty well
Just a hunch, but maybe you’ve noticed there’s a global crisis rumbling right now. Thank goodness the solution to all our problems is being rolled out, as a result of human ingenuity. Certainly, the exponentially rising graphs give hope that the UK is at the forefront of turning the tide on this potential catastrophe.
But do electric charge point providers (which global crisis did you think I meant? Even Covid-19 surely pales into insignificance compared with the potential impact of climate change) get the credit they deserve? Of course they don’t, and while the problems are plentiful, I’m not sure the rap paints a representative picture.
Best estimates suggest that there are 13,709 public charging stations in the UK, up from 1325 a decade ago, and a reassuringly high number in comparison to the 8300 or so fuel stations, 120 or so years after optimisation of life with the combustion-engined car began. Today’s charging stations have 21,588 devices available and 37,471 connectors. Around 150 new devices are being added a week and 1000 connectors a month. Back in 2011, there were 178 fast (7- 22kW) connections. Today, there are 20,455. There were no rapid (25-99kW) or ultra-rapid (100kW-plus) connections, nor any cars capable of being charged by them. Today, there are 8143 and 1333 respectively. And that’s entirely discounting home-charging facilities.
Despite regular headlines about the public charging network’s shortcomings – and there are many, from too many faulty facilities through the complexity of connecting to gross overcharging – the vast majority of EV owners (around 200,000) and plug-in hybrid owners (closing on 500,000) get on with life just fine. You charge from home, find the public chargers that work reliably or aren’t so popular they are blocked, avoid the ones whose app is a pain in the backside and so on. Plenty of people are making it work now. Plenty more will in future.
We’ve reached this point because, some kick-start incentives aside, legislative powers have largely left capitalism to its own devices and mostly it is working. It seems fair to assume that market forces and rising scrutiny will weed the underperformers out to a timeline that matches rising pressure on their services. Amalgamation and opportunity should do the rest.
We all like a moan, but while we may not lead the world on this one, and there’s lots more still to do, the unfashionable truth is that our much-maligned charging network is gunning along pretty well, thank you.
*READ MORE*
*UK public EV charging provision increases fivefold in five years *
*Public chargers per EV hits lowest level since records began*
*Car industry: 'massive investment' needed in EV charging*