Ultra-rapid EV charging network InstaVolt is calling on the UK Government to deliver its commitment to improve EV charging signage, after a planning application designed to highlight the issue was rejected by the local planning authority.
The application, submitted in November 2025 for a non-functional, advertising wind turbine at InstaVolt’s flagship Winchester Superhub site, was intended to draw attention to the persistent failure to provide adequate roadside signage, directing drivers to public charging infrastructure, a barrier the company claims is “actively slowing EV adoption”
The Winchester Superhub, located just off the A34 near the M3, is one of the UK’s largest single-operator ultra-rapid charging hub, with 44 ultra-rapid chargers, an 870-panel solar array, and on-site battery storage.
But despite its scale, the site lacks the clear signage that drivers need to locate it, which InstaVolt said “is not an isolated problem” and “reflects a systemic gap between the government’s stated ambition on EV infrastructure and its delivery on the ground”.
The government has publicly backed improved signage for EV charging sites as part of its strategy to support the transition to electric vehicles and meet its target of ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.
InstaVolt said despite national policy being set by central government, decisions on individual sites remain with local highway authorities and councils, ‘working to different priorities and timescales”.
It called for clearer coordination between Whitehall and local government on the issue, and for a timetable for implementing improved signage standards, working with local highway authorities to ensure sites are properly signposted on the strategic road network.
Delvin Lane, Chief Executive Officer of InstaVolt, said:
“We’re delivering on our commitments to build critical EV infrastructure using private investment, and we need government to deliver on its promises as well. We’ve faced an ongoing battle with signage, and we know more can be done.
“We’re doing everything we can to make charging simple and convenient for drivers, but too often people still struggle to find charging locations easily. That creates unnecessary friction for drivers and risks slowing wider EV adoption.
“The government has been clear that improving signage for EV charging is a priority. A year on, we are still waiting for that to translate into action. Drivers deserve better, and the wider EV transition depends on it. We will keep making that case until something changes.”
Image of Winchester site courtesy of InstaVolt
