Charger roll-out accelerates again with 55 new high-power hubs in 2024

More than 1,900 new public EV chargers are being installed every month in the UK, according to new data.

Figures from Zapmap show that the roll-out of public devices continues to accelerate, with a heavy emphasis on high-powered devices capable of providing ultra-rapid charging.

The latest quarterly report from the mapping service shows that the overall rate of installation has increased by 35% compared with 2023’s average – up from 1,400 devices a month to 1,900 per month in the first three months of 2024.

Zapmap’s COO Melanie Shufflebotham said the figures were great news for existing EV drivers and for petrol and diesel owners considering switching to electric.

At the end of March, there were 59,590 charging devices installed across the UK. This is a 10.5% increase since the end of 2023, and a 47% increase since the end of March 2023.

Of the 5,725 public chargers installed in the first quarter of this year, 25% of them (1,436) were high-powered devices of more than 50kW and 832 were 150kW+ ultra-rapid
devices.

The country’s top five high-power networks – InstaVolt, Tesla, bp pulse, Osprey and Gridserve – were responsible for three-quarters of them. Between them, they installed 839 chargers in the first three months of the year. Osprey, which has just fitted its 1,000th device led the way, installing more than 350 charge points.

The figures also show a 20% jump in the number of high-powered charging hubs. These are locations with at least six rapid/ultra-rapid devices, excluding Tesla sites that aren’t open to other drivers.

Since the end of 2023, 55 new charging hubs have opened their doors, including Northern Ireland’s first two sites and 11 new locations in England’s South West, taking the total number to 319.

There were also improvements in on-street charging for drivers without access to a home charger, with an additional 1,423 installed. However, the vast majority of the country’s devices are still in London – 16,405 of the 21,475 total – and Zapmap warned that the lengthy procurement process under the government funding programme meant a rapid increase was unlikely this year.

Melanie Shufflebotham commented: “It’s fantastic to see that the strong pace of charger installations seen last year has already been exceeded in the first quarter of 2024. In particular, high-powered chargers and hubs are showing great momentum, with new hubs and chargers popping up everywhere from supermarkets to motorway services and retail outlets.

“Our aim at Zapmap is both to help drivers to find suitable, reliable chargers when they are out and about and also to give petrol and diesel drivers the confidence to make the switch.
“It is undoubtedly great news for electric car drivers that the sheer number and as well
as the variety of charging options are improving every month.”