Only 15% of public EV chargepoints are in rural areas – report

The National Audit Office (NAO) urged ministers to put "greater focus" on ensuring more electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints are installed in rural locations and regions outside the South East. It said chargepoint installation to date - which has largely been privately funded - has been led by the needs of early adopters of EVs, resulting in around 44% of UK chargepoints being located in London and the South East. By July, more than 64,600 public chargepoints were installed.

This means the rollout is "on track" to meet the 300,000 that the DfT estimated will be the minimum needed by 2030, the report stated. But the watchdog warned the aim could be met without achieving "the spread of chargepoints needed to support road transport across the whole country". The report concluded that "greater focus" is needed on where chargepoints are located.

It recommended that the Government should consider developing regional and urban/rural forecasts of demand for EV charging. As of July, just 62% of motorway service areas (MSAs) reported having at least six ultra-rapid chargepoints. The previous Conservative government aimed for all MSAs to have that level of charging capacity by the end of 2023.

The NAO also warned that the charger rollout "has not met the needs of drivers with disabilities". It said many devices or their surroundings "have features which make them inaccessible to drivers with disabilities", such as being installed on kerbs, having a heavy cable, or having features or instructions too high or too low. Improving public charging infrastructure is seen as vital to encouraging more drivers to switch to electric motoring.

The Government has committed to bring the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans forward from 2035 to 2030. 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."

AA president Edmund King said: "It is vital that communities are not left behind, and the NAO is right to point out that northern and rural areas are not seeing installations at the same rate as the South. "Similarly, we must ensure that the major A-road network can provide regular charging points. "To provide confidence to drivers now and in the future, it is crucial that all road users, including those with mobility issues, can use public chargers easily."

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: "Charging networks have already done a huge amount of work when it comes to installing the UK's much-needed charging infrastructure, but there's no doubt more needs to be done. "Getting the necessary connections to the National Grid is vital to ensure no part of the country is left behind when it comes to being able to swiftly charge an EV." A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We're making good progress in rolling out chargepoints across the UK, with over 72,000 public chargers now available - a near 40% increase compared to December 2023.

"We're also providing over GBP2.3 billion to support industry and drivers make the switch, and our measures are working, with EVs making up one in four of all cars sold this November."