New EVA constituency map highlights England’s best and worst areas for public charging

The EVA has launched a new constituency by constituency map detailing England’s best and worst areas for public charging.

While EV adoption is increasing across the UK, around 40% of households nationwide still do not have access to off-street parking and a home charger.

Developed with assistance from Zapmap and Field Dynamics, the map demonstrates how each region and local community is progressing in terms of rolling out public charging infrastructure for motorists unable to charge at home.

The five best-served constituencies were in London, with Queen’s Park and Maida Vale coming out tops. Peckham was second, while Kensington and Bayswater ranked third. Islington and Finsbury were fourth, while Hackney and Shoreditch rounded out the top five.

According to the EVA England, a non-profit body representing England’s EV drivers, more than 99% of households in these areas are within reach of a charge point. Meanwhile, over 10% of cars in Queens Park and Maida Vale, and Kensington and Bayswater are electric.

Outside of the capital, Coventry and Brighton ranked as the second and third-best served areas with just under 90% of households in Coventry South located within five minutes of a charger. The EVA hopes this will support more drivers in making the switch to electric in the West Midlands region.

In terms of the worst-served areas for EV uptake, Smethwick ranked top, with West Bromwich in second. Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, and Plymouth Moorview were third, while Tipton and Wednesbury were fourth. Kingston upon Hull ranked best of the worst in fifth. In these areas, under 2% of vehicles are electric.

As well as giving residents the opportunity to directly lobby local representatives on how public infrastructure is rolled out in their constituency, the map allows local authorities, chargepoint operators, and policymakers to compare with neighbours and regional averages. The EVA says the key aim of its constituency map is to highlight where urgent action is needed as part of the UK’s EV transition.

Vicky Edmonds, EVA England’s chief executive commented: “We built this map to shine a light on the real-world experience of drivers using and charging their cars within the communities they live in. EVA England is focused on making sure that policy and industry decisions are grounded in the lived experience of EV drivers. Only then can we make the transition to electric work for everyone.

“The updated map shows clear areas of progress, in both attracting drivers into EVs and also in the charging infrastructure available to them, but also clear gaps. Continued collaboration across industry and government will be essential, and so will the voices of EV drivers who understand the day-to-day reality of driving and charging these vehicles better than anyone.”

Maz Shah, EVA England’s board director for data added: “Using data to drive informed decision making is vital. This expanded constituency map gives MPs and residents a clear view of how their area is progressing in the transition to electric vehicles. With new metrics, and a more intuitive way to compare constituencies it will help empower those involved in the EV transition to accelerate progress in their area. As someone who has driven 40,000 miles without access to private charging, I’m especially focussed on how well areas without home charging are performing.”

The EVA constituency map displays the proportion of households using EVs in every constituency, along with the number and type of public chargepoints available locally, including slow, fast, rapid, and ultra-rapid options. It also details where consumers’ growing demand for EVs is being matched by public opinion and where it is not.