Following Transport + Energy‘s analysis of domestic electric vehicle (EV) charging, James Evison takes a look at the debates around the UK’s public EV charging infrastructure.
The UK’s public electric vehicle (EV) charging network is entering a new, mature phase of development. In May, Transport + Energy reported that the UK had 116,052 public EV chargers at the end of 2025, representing 13% year-on-year growth, based on Zapmap and Green Finance Institute data.
Now, the country is above 120,000 charge points to-date, and broadly on course to hit the estimated UK Government requirement of approximately 300,000 by 2030.
The overall conclusion is that the UK is making substantial progress on public charging infrastructure. But the next stage of the transition presents challenges around grid capacity, utilisation, reliability, cost, and local delivery.
Speed
Ultra-rapid infrastructure has been growing much faster than the overall network, with 150kW+ chargers increasing by approximately 40%.
The direction of investment is therefore increasingly towards high-power charging hubs, rather than simply the number of individual sockets. Headline numbers of charge points can give a misleading impression of capacity though. Although ultra-rapid chargers represent a relatively small proportion of the overall network, they accounted for an estimated 52% of all energy delivered by the public network during Q4 2025, compared with 44% a year earlier.
This suggests the UK’s infrastructure strategy needs to focus increasingly on energy delivered and charging capacity, rather than just number of sockets installed.
The expansion of ultra-rapid infrastructure is one of the strongest developments in this space. A good example are GRIDSERVE’s and Osprey Charging’s hubs, which are often located on major routes of the strategic road network.
These sites have 300-400kW-capable charging bays, allowing for high-speed and quick turnaround for fleet drivers and those needing – and desiring – a fast charge.
Time sensitive?
As originally highlighted in the first ever EV Taskforce by the UK Government more than six years ago, one of the biggest psychological barriers to EV adoption has been the perception that charging requires a significant amount of time.
High-powered hubs reduce that concern, particularly for long-distance journeys. But equally, destination charging plays a critical role. Offering drivers a place to charge while partaking in leisure activities is an important element, as revealed in the work of CPOs such as RAW Charging, who has worked with Merlin Entertainments and the RHS on hubs at their sites.
Equally, future technology will change the landscape again, such as BYD’s recent announcement of flash charging, which brings the EV Taskforce’s key ask of charge speeds being similar to topping up petrol at the pump closer to a reality.
The grid
Although ultra-rapid chargers expanded by 40%, their average time-based utilisation was approximately 12.8% in Q4 2025, broadly similar to the previous year.
The industry states the challenge is to create enough capacity for peak demand without paying for enormous amounts of electricity-network capacity that sits unused most of the time.
Innovations in dynamic load balancing, battery storage, phased grid connections, flexibility management systems and smart charging all assist in this issue. This is likely to become one of the most important areas of charging infrastructure development over the next five years.
Power delivered
Another important finding is the gap between a charger’s advertised maximum power and the power actually delivered.
For consumers and investors, measures such as average delivered power, session duration and energy throughput may ultimately be more meaningful than the headline kW rating.
In addition, is the amount of chargers delivering any power at all. T+E has reported concerns around operators’ ability to consistently achieve the required levels of uptime. For drivers, reliability is arguably more important than the absolute number of chargers. If there are ten chargers at a site but three are broken, the driver experiences in reality a smaller site, more queues, and a worse experience overall.
Geography
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the geographic distribution of public charging infrastructure is uneven. But it has improved. 93% of the 7,598 rapid and ultra-rapid charge points installed between April 2024 and April 2026 were outside London.
However, national coverage statistics can conceal significant local differences too, with not only geographical equality at a regional level, but practical access for individual communities.
At numerous Transport + Energy Forums, businesses and local authorities have requested a UK Government national charging strategy to ensure an even distribution of chargepoints.
Costs
Gaps in public charging infrastructure could increase the cost of EV ownership, as can the on-going issue of VAT and other costs, as shown by the FairCharge campaign.
The affordability issue subsequently became even more prominent. In July, we reported ChargeUK research suggesting that EV demand could rise significantly if public charging became cheaper.
As shown in our assessment of the ZEV Mandate and Norway, the UK Government could follow the example of subsidised public charging to further incentivise take-up of EVs.
Council funding
75% of surveyed local authorities have identified council budget pressures as their main obstacle to expanding public charging.
Despite the support of the LEVI funding, the consistent pressure on council funding from other areas, as well as the on-going needs of the highway network and potholes, has meant that developing and expanding the EV charging network at a local authority level has come under pressure.
Accessibility
There is also a significant social-equity issue with public charging infrastructure. Transport + Energy reported in July that approximately three quarters of responding councils did not have public chargers specifically adapted for disabled drivers or compliant with recognised accessibility standards.
Motability worked hard with the industry to create accessibility standards for public charging, and PAS 1899 was first published in 2022 as a voluntary standard. But it is estimated only 3 charging sites in the whole of the UK currently fully comply with the standard.
A recent survey by EVA England revealed 47% of all drivers, with and without disabilities, reported accessibility issues using current infrastructure.
Pressure has been put on the sector to improve voluntarily, although the UK Government has worked towards making accessibility mandatory in the future through legislation.
Consolidation
The charging industry remains relatively fragmented, although consolidation is beginning to take place.
There have been several notable acquisitions in the EV charging sector recently, including Be.EV acquiring Mer’s UK public charging network, Connected Kerb and Trojan Energy’s Flat & Flush on-street charging network, and Shell-ubitricity’s purchase of the SureCharge London network from FM Conway Ltd.
Transport + Energy subsequently reported that 68% of respondents to a poll considered market consolidation positive for scale and reliability.
Ultimately, the UK public charging network is in a strong position. The expansion to more than 120,000 public charge points represents substantial infrastructure growth, while the rapid expansion of ultra-rapid charging demonstrates that the industry is responding to the changing needs of EV drivers.
Images courtesy of Green Car Guide
