Spending watchdog finds chargepoint rollout on track, but several hurdles remain
Public electric vehicle chargepoint installations are currently on track to meet the minimum 300,000 needed across the UK by 2030, but government faces challenges to address the location of chargepoints, their accessibility and wider barriers such as planning rules, according to a new National Audit Office (NAO) report.
As of July 2024, 64,632 electric vehicle chargepoints had been installed. This is in line with projections made by the Department for Transport (DfT), through the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV), a team working across government supporting the transition away from petrol and diesel. DfT anticipates that its local chargepoint programme and continued growth in private installations will support the trajectory needed to reach 300,000 by 2030.
While the overall number of chargepoint installations is on track, the estimate does not account for where chargepoints should be installed. This has created a regional divide 44% of public chargepoints in the UK have been installed in London and the South-East, while only 15% of chargepoints in England are in rural areas. London has more chargepoints installed per capita than any other region.
DfT established the local electric vehicle infrastructure (LEVI) programme to support local authorities in rolling out chargepoints: a £450m fund running between 2022-23 and March 2025. Through LEVI, DFT is supporting more local authorities to install chargepoints, and currently forecasts the programme will install of at least 100,000 chargepoints. But the programme has faced delays, owing to local authority plans taking longer to develop than DfT expected and an established procurement route proving no longer feasible. Consequently, local authorities may need further government support beyond the current programme end date.
The location of chargepoints is also an issue along the strategic road network: motorways and major A-roads. Whilst the number of rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoints installed along the strategic road network has exceeded DfT’s expectations, there are stretches of A-roads which don’t have sufficient chargepoints. In 2020, the government announced an aim for six ultra-rapid chargepoints at every motorway service area in England by 2023, anticipating that the private sector would be able to achieve this. As of July 2024, 62% of service areas have met this.
The UK’s chargepoint rollout is being hindered because it is slower and more expensive than it needs to be for chargepoint operators to get planning permissions and electricity grid connections. In response, government is working with stakeholders to streamline planning and connection processes where possible, and is considering more fundamental reform, including looking at rules around highway consents and gaining landowner permissions for development.
Consumers have numerous concerns over using public chargepoints, which government has put in place regulation to address. These concerns include complexity in using chargepoints, with operators having different ways to pay; pricing being unclear or unduly expensive; and malfunctioning or inoperative chargepoints. It is still too early to say whether OZEV’s regulatory intervention has helped, as many of its requirements only came into force from November 2024.
Drivers with disabilities have been left behind in the rollout to date; many chargepoints – and their surrounding environments – have features that make them inaccessible. These include chargepoints placed on kerbs, with nearby obstructions, or those closely spaced together, presenting difficulties for wheelchair users. DfT said in its 2018 inclusive transport strategy that the Equality Act 2010 was applicable to the provision of chargepoints, and co-sponsored the creation of a standard which specifies minimum requirements for chargepoint accessibility. However, industry and local authorities have reported further clarity is needed on compliance with this standard, and DfT has established a technical group to address these issues.
Gareth Davies, head of the NAO said: “Government’s estimate of the 300,000 public electric vehicle chargepoints needed by 2030 appears achievable, although there is more to do to ensure adequate coverage in all parts of the country. Government is using regulation to improve the user experience of public chargepoints and needs to address access for people with disabilities.”
A key way to encourage drivers to use electric vehicles is to provide public chargepoints. While most electric car owners have driveways or garages where they can install a chargepoint for their private use, many people do not have this option, and will need to rely on public chargepoints. Long distance journeys may also require access to public chargepoints. To give drivers confidence to switch to electric vehicles, these chargepoints need to be installed in sufficient numbers and at key locations. This may not happen at the pace and in the locations needed without government intervention.
- DfT currently estimates that the demand for public chargepoints in 2030 will be in the range of 250,000 to 550,000. It had previously estimated a range of 280,000 to 720,000. DfT will need to continue to update the likely range to determine if the number of installations is on track.
- DfT has designed its current programmes to help address regional differences but has no specific targets for how public chargepoints should be distributed across different regions and across urban and rural areas.
- At present, chargepoints operators need to receive licence to install a chargepoint on the public highway, requiring additional time and cost to secure as these are needed for each site. DfT is considering including them in the streamlined permits regime available to utilities operators.
- Where electricity infrastructure goes through private land, permission from the landowner is needed. The process for securing this can be complicated and can take nine to 18 months where a landowner does not co-operate. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told us it intends to consult on changes to improve the clarity and speed of the process.
