UK has 37,000 public charging devices

Department for Transport publishes annual statistics

There were 37,055 public electric vehicle charging devices installed in the UK as of 1 January 2023. The latest electric vehicle charging statistics released by the Department for Transport (DfT) show that there has been an increase of 2,418 compared to 1 October 2022.

Some 6,887 were rated rapid devices or above, this represents 19% of all charging devices. 21,255 were rated fast chargers, which represents 57% of all charging devices.

A total of 18,321 were designated as destination chargers, which represents 49% of all charging devices.

Some 11,996 were designated as onstreet chargers, representing 32% of all charging devices

Compared to 1 October 2022, the total installed devices increased by 2,418, an increase of 7%. Rapid charging or above devices increased by 492, an increase of 8%. There was an increase in total charging devices and those rated rapid or above in all regions of the UK.

Proportionately, the largest increase in installations was within the ultra-rapid device category, which increased by 10% in the last quarter (albeit from a lower base than other categories), accounting for 211 charging devices. Ultra-rapid charging devices are still the smallest overall category with 2,295 devices.

Proportionately, the smallest increase in charging devices installations was in the slow charging devices categories, with an increase of 5% or 417 charging devices. Fast charging devices are still the most common category to be publicly installed, growing by 8% or 1,509 devices.

The most common location category for charging devices is destination with 18,321 charging devices or approximately half of all publicly available charging devices. Onstreet charging devices is the second largest category accounting for 32% of charging devices or 11,996.

There is an uneven geographical distribution of charging devices within the UK. Some UK local authorities have bid for UK government funding for charging devices, and others have not. Most of the provision of this infrastructure has been market-led, with individual charging networks and other businesses (such as hotels) choosing where to install devices.

London and Scotland had the highest level of charging provision per 100,000 of population, with 131 and 69 devices per 100,000 respectively. In comparison, the average provision in the UK was 55 per 100,000.

Northern Ireland had the lowest level of charging device provision in the UK, with 19 devices per 100,000, followed by the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber with 31 and 36 devices per 100,000 respectively.

Scotland had the highest rate of rapid device provision of 17.3 rapid or quicker devices per 100,000, whilst the average provision in the UK was 10.3 per 100,000. Rapid or quicker device provision was lowest for Northern Ireland with 1.4 rapid or quicker devices per 100,000. North West and East of England were the second and third lowest regions with 8.3 and 8.9 rapid

UK car production down, but electric vehicle output surges

The UK automotive sector has recorded its worst performance since 1956, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Volumes for the UK rose 9.4% but failed to offset declining exports, down -14.0%. UK car production is heavily weighted for export, with some eight in 10 cars shipped overseas.

However, record levels of electrified vehicles rolled off the assembly lines, with almost a third of all cars made fully electric or hybrid.

The auto sector is calling for a dedicated framework to drive rapid upscaling of battery production, an issue highlighted by the collapse of the Britishvolt gigafactory project.

UK car production declined -9.8% in 2022 to 775,014 units, according to the latest figures issued by the SMMT. December rounded off a volatile year, with output down or quicker devices per 100,000 respectively.

All regions across the UK saw an increase in total charging devices between October and December 2022. Wales had the greatest increase at 17.3%, whilst East Midlands had the smallest increase at 3.3%. London had the greatest increase in absolute number of devices at 493 devices, closely followed by Scotland at 486 devices.

The number of available devices can fluctuate for a range of reasons. Increases likely reflect the installation of new devices, whilst owners and operators can choose to temporarily or permanently decommission or replace devices.

Charging devices can also be unavailable due to faults, maintenance or other restrictions in the area where they are located, though data on the status of charging devices is not held by the Department for Transport.

Rapid charging or above devices have increased in every region in the UK. The smallest percentage increase in the number of rapid charging or above devices was in the South East at 3.3%. Wales had the largest percentage increase in rapid charging or above devices at 26.9%, corresponding to an increase of 60 rapid charging or above devices.

-17.9% in the month after growth in October and November, with most of the year’s volume loss occurring in the first half.

The annual total was 84,561 units down on 2021 and -40.5% off the 1,303,135 cars made in 2019 prepandemic, equivalent to a loss of more than half a million cars.

The main reasons for the depressed output were the crippling global shortage of semiconductors, which limited the ability to build cars in line with demand; significant structural changes, reflecting a loss of production at two volume manufacturing sites; and the impact of supply chain pauses in China due to COVID lockdowns.

Despite these challenges, UK factories turned out a record 234,066 battery electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid (HEV) electric vehicles, with combined volumes up 4.5% year-on-year to represent almost a third (30.2%) of all car production.