Charger shortage hitting electric vehicle demand

Demand for electric vehicles is being hit by a lack of charging points for drivers who cannot plug in at home, industry experts have warned. Just 1,234 public chargers were installed in the UK last month – close to 40 a day and well below the 130 a day required to reach the goal of having 300,000 points by 2030.

And worryingly for ministers in their green drive to net zero, figures from industry group Zapmap suggest the rollout is slowing rather than accelerating. Just 11,464 charging points have been installed so far this year – or 47 a day below the 54 a day seen last year.

Experts told the Daily Mail this is a particular problem for drivers who cannot charge their cars at home – often because of a lack of off-street parking. Ministers this summer announced £63m of fresh investment in rolling out ‘at-home charging for households without driveways’.

But it is feared many such drivers remain reluctant to make the switch due to so-called ‘range anxiety’ over where they can plug in to top up their batteries. A spokesman for the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said: ‘Concern about the ability to charge affordably whenever needed is one of the main barriers to greater EV adoption, especially for those reliant on public charging.

‘The Government’s £63m investment to support at-home charging for households without driveways aims to address this and further action to accelerate rollout of infrastructure across the UK would make EV ownership an attractive option for everyone, no matter where they live.’ There are 85,163 public charging points across the country.

But these are often more expensive than charging at home, penalising those without their own charging points. Tom Pakenham, commercial director at EV charging point firm Hive, said: ‘The UK’s shift towards electric vehicle ownership is proceeding at pace, but the shortage of reliable and affordable public charging points in some places remains a real challenge, particularly for people in cities without access to off-street parking.’

A survey by Direct Line last month found drivers have to queue for an average of 22 minutes to use a public charging point. However, some have sat in queues for up to two hours at locations where demand is highest – such as motorway service stations during busy holiday periods.

The insurer said the results of the poll highlight the ‘significant challenges with public charging infrastructure’. A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘We’re investing over £4billion to accelerate the switch to electric vehicles.’