The best areas to find an electric car charging point
>
REVEALED: Local authorities have added the most electric car charging points since 2019 – and those that have monitored a decline in availability
- Welwyn Hatfield, Hertfordshire, is running its local charging networks the fastest
- It has 90.4 charging devices per 100,000 people, up from 10.6 three years ago
- Official government data also showed that eight local authorities have monitored a decline in charger availability over the past three years
- With the ban on new petrol and diesel cars coming into effect in 2030, pressure is mounting to provide strong charging infrastructure to cope with the increase in electric cars on the road
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
A new study has revealed which local authorities have expanded their EV charging infrastructure the fastest over the past three years as battery vehicle sales are expected to boom in the run-up to the end of the decade.
With new petrol and diesel cars banned from showrooms from 2030, analysis of government data shows Welwyn Hatfield in Hertfordshire is ramping up its local charging network faster than any other body in the UK.
It has the highest percentage growth of public charging devices per 100,000 people since October 2019, the study found.
Shockingly, at the other end of the scale are a total of eight local authorities that have not only failed to bolster their charging networks over the past three years, but now have less available per capita than they did three years ago.
Does your municipality invest in EV chargers? A new survey from Citroen UK has revealed where the biggest increase in charge point installations has occurred over the past three years
The industry’s most recent figures show that plug-in electrified vehicles – both 100 per cent battery cars and plug-in hybrids – now account for more than a fifth (21 per cent) of the UK new car market.
With one in five new models hitting the road with a plug, the importance of a local charging network is becoming increasingly important.
Analyzing the number of public chargers per 100,000 residents in the UK, Citroën found that Welwyn Hatfield had recorded the highest percentage increase in three years, with a 754 percent increase in available charging devices.
There are now 90.4 charging devices per 100,000 inhabitants in the municipality, compared to 10.6 in 2019.
Brighton and Hove in East Sussex achieved the second highest increase, with a 496 per cent increase in the number of devices per 100,000 residents, with 121 charging devices per 100,000 people in the area as of October 2022.
These are the 10 local authorities with the fastest growing public charging infrastructures based on device numbers per 100,000 area residents
Looking only at fast charging devices – devices that offer some of the fastest charging speeds – Stafford (Staffordshire) has seen the highest percentage growth today at 435 percent with 27.6 new fast chargers (minimum 25kW) per 100,000 residents, compared to just 5.2 in three years ago.
In terms of the total number of public charging devices by local authority, Westminster has by far the most charging points, with 1,494 devices, followed by Wandsworth with 873 and Coventry with 695, as of October 2022, Citroën’s report reveals.
Areas in the UK where charging infrastructure is SHRIMPING
Incredibly, there are some local authorities that have seen their availability of EV charging points decline over the past three years.
The Fermanagh and Omagh authority, which is responsible for most of southwestern Northern Ireland, has seen a drop in the number of devices per capita of almost 20 per cent.
In October 2022, it had 26.4 chargers per 100,000 people, which is less than the 32.5 devices in the same month in 2019.
There also appears to be a decline in public charging infrastructure in and around Manchester.
Availability in Salford fell by 14 percent, while access in Manchester itself fell by 0.6 percent.
Other areas with shrinking public charging networks in the last three years include Luton, Derry City and Strabane, Hillingdon, Malvern Hills and Mid and East Antrim.
| Local authority/region name | October 22 (per 100,000 inhabitants) | October 19 (per 100,000 inhabitants) | Percentage change compared to October 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fermanagh and Omagh | 26.4 | 32.5 | -18.77% |
| Salford | 30.8 | 35.8 | -13.80% |
| Luton | 22.9 | 24.8 | -7.30% |
| Derry City and Strabane | 16.5 | 17.3 | -4.12% |
| Hillingdon | 60.8 | 62.3 | -2.39% |
| Malvern hills | 15.1 | 15.4 | -1.68% |
| Manchester | 21.6 | 21.7 | -0.63% |
| Central and East Antrim | 18.6 | 18.7 | -0.48% |
| North Somerset | 40.4 | 40.2 | 0.39% |
| Three Rivers | 45.8 | 45.1 | 1.38% |
| Source: Citroen UK analysis of DfT figures provided by Zap-Map | |||
Reports suggest the Chancellor will announce in his autumn statement that electric car owners will have to pay road tax for the first time in a bid to plug an annual £7bn gap in the Treasury.
The UK as a whole has witnessed a 129 per cent increase in the total number of public charging devices over the three year period with a total of 34,637 public charging devices across the country including 6,395 fast charging devices.
Eurig Druce, CEO of Citroen UK, said widespread access to public charging points is a ‘cornerstone that needs to be in place if we aim to make the UK a true electric vehicle country’.
This latest survey comes in the same month that it was revealed that less than half of all commuter car parks in Britain have an electric vehicle charging point installed.
Only 44 percent of all large business parks, popular train stations and park & ride locations in large cities were found to offer a charging option.
Of the approximately 12,000 parking spaces checked, even less than one percent had a charging point for electric cars, according to the regulation for electric cars.