Green groups ramp up pressure on Government to spur EV chargepoint deployment

By 2050, the UK’s public charging demand is expected to triple

The REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology), Zemo Partnership, FairCharge, and The Climate Group have jointly signed a letter to Minister for Decarbonisation and Technology Jesse Norman, calling for a new roadmap for EV charging infrastructure.

The green groups are calling for the recommendations of a recent RECHARGE UK report to be adopted. The report recommends ways to enhance local energy security for powering public charging including the optimisation of onsite renewable generation, reducing grid reliance, as well as ensuring that the ZEV mandate is as ambitious as possible to provide investor confidence for a newly developed charging industry.

The REA’s chief executive Dr Nina Skorupska CBE said: “We are committed to playing our part in accelerating chargepoint deployment and fully recognise that achieving a successful chargepoint rollout will require actions from multiple stakeholders in the electric vehicle charging space. We look forward to working with the Department for Transport and Office for Zero Emission Vehicles in order to see these recommendations delivered.

“By adopting the recommendations in this report, the Government can achieve its target of reaching 300,000 chargepoints by 2030, creating new jobs and driving economic growth. We firmly believe that the recommendations of this report provide the opportunity to reinvigorate the charge to net zero transport. This will help end criticism of the capability of charging infrastructure to meet future demand and directly address the geographic inequalities of charging infrastructure that are reported today.”

The RECHARGE UK report was published in July and outlined a comprehensive plan to expedite the rollout of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the UK.

The report emphasises the importance of breaking down regulatory barriers hindering current chargepoint deployment levels in order to meet the increasing energy demand on the grid by 2030.

Currently, there are more than 40,000 public EV chargepoints in the UK, serving approximately 2% of vehicles on the road. However, with EVs making up 17% of new car sales in May 2023 and projected to rise up to 80% by 2030, the number of EVs on the road is expected to reach 11 million, compared to the current 760,000.

An analysis by Field Dynamics, included in the RECHARGE report, estimates that in 2030, public charging demand will reach 10,876 gigawatt hour (GWh), equivalent to half of Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore windfarm.

By 2050, the UK’s public charging demand is expected to triple to 29.8-terawatt hours (TWh).

Commenting, the Climate Group’s senior policy manager Dominic Phinn said: “From the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles to the planned Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, the UK Government has ambitious plans to make the UK a frontrunner in electric vehicles. However, it’s now time to deliver on these ambitions with pragmatic policies to accelerate the switch.”

“This report is packed with practical recommendations that Ministers would be wise to adopt to ensure the UK has a good supply of electric vehicles to meet huge demand demonstrated by both companies and consumers while rolling out adequate charging infrastructure across the country.”