The United Kingdom had 930,000 electric car chargers by the end of June 2024, according to ChargeUK, a lobby group. The figure is sharp proof of the fact that installations and increasing sales of battery vehicles are able to run at a comparable pace.
But the majority of the almost 1 million chargers across the country have been installed in homes and business premises. There are just about 65,000 public chargers available. Can the ruling Labour government find an effective method to increase this number?
UK’s charging sector an important part of green economy
In order to cut carbon emissions and limit global heating, is important for consumers to shift from polluting petrol and diesel vehicles to electric technology. But the limited availability of charge points is holding back some drivers from making the transition.
Nonetheless, Vicky Read, the chief executive of ChargeUK, said their analysis suggested some of the charge point rollout concerns may be misplaced. In little more than a decade, the UK’s charging sector has developed to become an important player in the green economy, she added.
The ChargeUK analysis highlighted that a public charger is being installed every 25 minutes as companies race to address an increasing demand. Companies installed 5,100 public chargers across the UK during the second quarter of 2024, according to data company Zapmap.
Tories targetted 300,000 public charge points by 2030
There are 1.1 million electric vehicles on UK roads, including 167,000 cars sold in the first half of this year. That is a 9% increase compared to the previous year, but the share of electric sales only increased marginally to 16.6% due to higher upfront prices and rising interest rates.
The ChargeUK analysis suggested that the private sector in the country is confident that it could meet a target set by the previous Tory government of 300,000 public charge points by the end of the decade, reported the Guardian.
The Labour government led by Keir Starmer promised in its general election manifesto to “accelerate the rollout of charge points”. But it remains unclear if the party is planning to stick to the 300,000 target. Keep an eye out as Eco Discussion delivers more updates.
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