New analysis reveals charging behaviours and patterns on different types of chargers
Zapmap and the Green Finance Institute have released a report offering new analysis of how the country’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure is used in practice.
The new report aims to help investors and local authorities look beyond the number of charge points installed as a success metric. It gets more granular on how to ensure the right charging devices are in the right place and economically viable.
Through its partnerships with UK charge point operators (CPOs), Zapmap is able to record and analyse hundreds of thousands of charging sessions each month – around 70% of all public charge points.
Without an industry-standard definition or calculation to assess and benchmark how different EV charging infrastructure is used, the Green Finance Institute and Zapmap developed measures for both time- and energy-based utilisation.
Time-based utilisation looks at how long a vehicle is plugged into a charging device, but not necessarily charging. Energy-based utilisation is the estimated energy delivered during a charging session.
With Zapmap tracking this data since 2018, the report also reveals how these two measures have changed over time. While the overall picture on both metrics shows they have not yet changed significantly, the data clearly supports the idea that demand is growing for ultra-rapid chargers.
Melanie Shufflebotham, Co-founder & COO at Zapmap, said, “It’s great to see these utilisation figures coming into the public domain because they can really help us move the conversation on from simply talking about the number of charge points to looking more closely at charging behaviour and patterns on different types of chargers. This in turn can help to inform local authorities and investment, ensuring the right charging provision is installed in the right places.
“As ever, new analysis often raises more questions than it answers. But one clear trend that both measures highlight is the increasing utilisation of ultra-rapid charge points, and an expectation that this will continue as more vehicles enter the market with improved charging capabilities.”
Lauren Pamma, Director for Transport Programmes at the Green Finance Institute, added, “The Green Finance Institute has been delighted to work with Zapmap to create clarity for the market on how the charging network in the UK is used.
“Uniquely positioned at the nexus of public and private finance, the Green Finance Institute is the UK’s principal forum for innovation on green finance and delivery across the market. We engage regularly with financial institutions who have made clear to us that utilisation risk continues to be the key barrier preventing them from financing electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
“The data in this white paper is the start to providing financiers with the information and clarity they need to understand utilisation, and therefore reduce the risk in financing the infrastructure underpinning the EV transition. Zapmap’s data has the potential to enable innovative financing mechanisms such as utilisation-linked loans, which the Green Finance Institute has been developing, to be realised.”