UK’s EV infrastructure targets ‘need to be more precise’

The UK’s current electric vehicle infrastructure (EVI) targets are too wide in scope and should be based on more detailed, precise metrics to ensure a true reflection of progress in regions across the country, according to a new report.

The findings were made in a new study by manufacturer Vauxhall, with leading sustainable transport organisation Cenex, who have assessed the effectiveness of metrics commonly used to track the success of the UK’s electrification journey, such as the number of public chargepoints and the number of EVs per chargepoint.

According to the assessment, the broad nature of current UK targets don’t go far enough to provide an actionable and measurable reflection of where infrastructure is required across the country.

Instead, three new relevant metrics were created in the report to track progress across three types of public charging: Near Home Charging – near residential dwellings, Destination Charging – where charging for business or leisure, and Journey Charging – facilities similar to a modern petrol forecourt.

Near home consider the balance of supply and demand in relation to the distribution of chargepoints; the journey charging index was calculated using data about the demand for charging alongside data about the supply and capacity of charging facilities; and the destination charging was calculated through consideration of visitor need, usage of parking bays, the proportion of long-stay versus short-stay visitors and the proportion of EVs at a given point in time.

Using the Near Home Charging metric, it was able to conclude that, on average, 19% of all households who need it are close to a public chargepoint.

Across Great Britain, supply was found to be a little ahead of demand, although regional disparities continue to exist. For example, Camden nearly has the capacity it needs for projected levels of local EV ownership in 2040.

Using the Journey Charging metric, it concluded that overall, the supply of journey charging for UK’s roads is ahead of demand. But it also revealed there is still significant variation between roads. The M27 (Southampton bypass) was found to be the motorway with the worst journey charging provision, while the M2 between Gillingham and Canterbury was the best.

The study combined a range of research methods, including desk-based research of international and national best practice, an online survey and in-depth interviews with industry experts.

James Taylor, Managing Director, Vauxhall, said:

“Effectively tracking the progress we are making towards a practical future for electric vehicles is key to determining how far we have come, and in identifying what steps we need to take next to ensure that progress continues at pace.

“Partnering with Cenex to produce this report has been valuable in demonstrating how much needs to be done to improve the current metrics we use, to more accurately reflect the true progress being made and that still needs to be made throughout the country.

“This data highlights how broad the UK’s current target of 300,000 public chargepoints by 2030 is and how useful a more nuanced and detailed picture is.”

Chris Rimmer, Head of Policy, Strategy and Implementation, Cenex, added:

“A key finding from the research is that metrics must be relevant, actionable, scalable and measurable. Applying this to the three ways chargepoints are used allows us to assess whether we are getting the right chargepoints of the right power into the right places.

We are grateful to have worked with Vauxhall to publish this data to help deliver cleaner and greener transport in the most sustainable, effective and efficient manner.”

Image of report cover courtesy of Cenex