PAC highlights geographical variation in public EV charging

A new report on the rollout of public charge points for electric vehicles published by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says too few charge points are being installed outside of the south–east and London.

The PAC found that while the country is on track to reach the 300,000 public charge points the Department for Transport estimates to be the minimum needed by 2030, these charge points are not in the right places.

With 43% of public charge points in London and the south–east, other regions and rural areas are more poorly served.

PAC also highlighted the need for DfT to act faster to support ultra–rapid charging at motorway service areas. The Department’s ambition was for every motorway service area to have at least six ultra–rapid charge points by 2023, but this was only the case for 80 of the 114 motorway service areas by the start of 2025.

The Department’s rapid charging fund, which aims to future proof electricity connections on the strategic road network, has not yet issued any of its £950 million of funding five years after being launched. Its work to support local authorities has been more successful, but the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure programme faces risks as it enters delivery.

PAC recognises the Department has introduced regulations to improve the experience for people using public charge points, but it is too early to say if these are working. The regulations include making pricing clearer and less complicated and setting minimum standards for rapid charge point reliability. This will include addressing the big difference in costs between using public charge points and private ones, in part caused by the higher value added tax charged, typically 20% compared to 5%. This particularly affects those without access to off–street parking and often means using an electric vehicle is more expensive for people who have less means to afford it.

PAC found the needs of drivers with disabilities have not been met in the rollout to date, and many charge points are inaccessible to them. The Department helped create an accessibility standard, but charge point operators and local authorities said that they need a better understanding of how to apply it.

PAC is now calling for the government to plan for what is needed to support the widespread uptake of electric vehicles and rollout of public charge points. This includes developing a more granular understanding of where further support may be needed, such as in rural areas and remote parts of the road network where installing charge points is less commercially viable. DfT should also liaise with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to ensure all major road schemes deliver more charging points.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Chair of the Committee, said, “It is welcome to see the EV charging roll-out beginning to ramp up, with all the implicit benefits that bearing down on emissions will bring. But this roll-out is not currently taking place equally across the nation.

“Meeting numerical targets for charging points is all very well. Delivering thousands of points allowing Londoners to easily zip around the capital while leaving the rest of the UK’s network patchy is obviously an outcome to be avoided.

“Drivers need confidence that they can use an EV without any risk of getting stranded, or they won’t make the switch. It is imperative that the motorway network has a complete range of charging points as soon as possible to provide some confidence to drivers who wish to travel about the entire country.

“It is also of deep concern that the needs of disabled drivers are being ignored. Not a single charge point in the country is currently fully accessible. We are risking baking a serious injustice into the fabric of a major part of our national infrastructure. It similarly needs to understand how to remedy financial inequalities for those who have no choice but to use public charge points. Our report therefore leaves challenges Government – it must move at pace to overcome current delays and encourage take-up, while taking the time to ensure no-one gets left behind in this all-important shift to the future.”