The task of upgrading and developing the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to cope with current and future demand is no mean feat. 

The UK Government has committed to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. When combined with an ever-growing shift by individuals to minimise their own environmental impact, EV road tax exemptions (due to change in next year’s budget) and, until recently, comparably excellent fuel costs versus traditional petrol and diesel models, the shift to electric vehicles is rapidly gathering pace. 

Motor vehicle manufacturers are responding to demand, with many bolstering their EV offering as well as committing to end production of petrol and diesel vehicles within the next few years.  According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), currently more than one in five cars sold in the UK is electric, peaking in March 2022 at just under 30%.

There are now over 620,000 solely electric cars on UK roads together with an additional 440,000 plug-in hybrids.

A growing number of electric vehicles on the roads means more charging points are needed to power them. This has led to a marked intensification by public and private sector bodies to analyse and implement the ongoing development of charging infrastructure. The Department for Transport reported this year that there are currently 35,000 chargepoints in the UK which, by the time 2030 is upon us, needs to have increased nearly ten-fold to 300,000 chargepoints in order to meet demand.

This is not just a numbers-based game though, and it is pleasing to see that strategies are being developed using the latest-available data sets to target areas of future demand and develop the charging network accordingly.

The Geospatial Commission has this week released a report highlighting the benefits of using geospatial data - down to street level - to plan and inform such development, while identifying four key challenges of modelling future demand, finding suitable sites, creating a seamless consumer experience and tracking the rollout of chargepoints nationally and regionally.

Read the full report here.