The UK has installed a record number of public electric car chargers this year, as companies race to keep up with the growing number of battery vehicles on British roads.
Nearly 6,000 new chargers were installed during the first three months of 2024, according to quarterly figures from data company Zapmap published by the Department for Transport. About 1,500 of those were rapid chargers, capable of charging a car in less than an hour.
There were just under 60,000 public chargers installed in the UK by 1 April, a 49% increase compared with a year earlier.
The number of public chargers of all speeds in the UK has doubled since the start of 2022.
Some electric car companies, including global leaders Tesla and China’s BYD, are experiencing falling sales as higher interest rates hit disposable incomes. That has meant that the share of electric models in total car sales has stalled in the UK at 15.5% this year, after previously rapid growth.
One of the most common reasons cited by people concerned about shifting to EVs is range anxiety, or the fear that their car will run out of power before they can find a charger. In many parts of the world – and notably in the US, the world’s second-largest car market – that concern can be well founded. However, in the UK the problem is being addressed and the number of black spots, at least in areas with high demand, is reducing rapidly.