EV installations need super-charge

The UK needs to accelerate the roll out of EV infrastructure five-fold to meet its 2030 deadline for banning the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles.

A new report, Charging Up, developed by Policy Exchange for the Department for Transport, found that the rate of installing EV charge points will have to increase from 7,000 a year to 35,000 if local authorities are going to be ready for 2030.

It also found there were large discrepancies between regions, with rural areas lagging behind towns and cities.

It urged the government to introduce competitive tendering for charge point networks, while also ensuring tenders for motorway service areas have a fast-charging requirement plus solutions needed to improve the grid, like onsite battery storage.

Report author Ed Birkett said: “We’re recommending a new system for the government to support chargepoint installations. This uses a similar approach to the UK’s successful auctions for offshore wind farms, which involved the government procuring wind capacity but the delivery was all on the private sector side. That meant companies competing to produce cheaper and more innovative technologies, which has made us a world leader in wind technology.

“If the government gets this right, then EVs can be a practical choice for drivers right across the UK. We’re concerned about patchy deployment of chargepoints, which runs against the government’s plans for Levelling Up and a strong and connected Union.”