Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why fewer than 25 per cent of new public electric vehicle charging points installed in the last three months were rapid chargers; and how they plan to increase the numbers of rapid chargers.

Electric vehicle (EV) drivers will require a variety of a range of public charging locations and speeds of charging to meet their needs. The vast majority of EV drivers choose to charge their cars at home, overnight or increasingly at the workplace. For those without off-street parking, slower on-street chargepoints may work for them, or faster charging when they do their weekly shop, for example. Rapid and ultra-rapid charging is particularly important for those making longer journeys.

The UK is a global front-runner in supporting provision of EV charging infrastructure. The rate at which rapid chargepoints are being installed has been consistently increasing, from October 2020 to September 2021 the number of rapids in the UK increased by almost 40%.

The Government will provide over £1.3 billion to accelerate the roll out of charging infrastructure, targeting support on ultra-rapid rapid chargepoints on motorways and major A roads to dash any anxiety around long journeys, and installing more on-street chargepoints near homes and workplaces to make charging as easy as refuelling a petrol or diesel car.

We have set targets for en-route ultra-rapid charging on the Strategic Road Network, to ensure there are enough chargepoints to enable long distance journeys and committed a £950 million Rapid Charging Fund to future proof grid capacity at motorway service areas (MSAs) and major A road service areas to prepare the network for 100% uptake of zero emission cars and vans ahead of need:

• By 2023, we aim to have at least 6 high powered, open access chargepoints (150-350 kilowatt capable) at each MSA in England.
• By 2030, we are planning for there to be around 2,500 high powered chargepoints across England’s motorways and major A roads.
• By 2035, we expect the number to increase to around 6,000 high powered chargers across the network.

Our £20 million per year on-street residential charging scheme is providing much needed slower charging options near people’s homes, including for those charging overnight. In addition, our new Local EV Infrastructure Fund which will launch next year will facilitate the rollout of larger scale chargepoint infrastructure projects across England for local areas, including local rapid hubs.

Government’s forthcoming EV Infrastructure Strategy will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK. The strategy will focus on how we will unlock the chargepoint rollout needed to enable the transition from early adoption to mass market uptake of EVs.