Record growth of EV charging network delivered in 2022
Though the UK saw an overall increase of 30 percent, Greater London still had the highest number of charging points installed
The UK saw record growth in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in 2022, according to Zap-Map, a leading charge point mapping service.
The country's number of ultra-rapid charge points, which cater to drivers on long journeys, grew by almost 80 percent in 2022, from 1,290 at the end of 2021 to 2,295.
The company says the growth in these high-speed devices was largely due to providers MFG EV Power, Osprey and GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, which rolled out 106 charging hubs across the country.
The West Midlands saw the most significant rate of growth, with 52 percent more chargers installed in 2022, while Wales saw a 42 percent increase.
The number of on-street charging devices for electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK also increased last year by 36 percent in 2022, from 8,842 to 12,009 by the end of December.
Overall, EV chargers in the UK grew by over 30 percent in 2022, from 28,458 to 37,261 by the end of the year. With an increase of 8,800 chargers, 2022 saw the highest number of UK charge points ever installed within a year.
Although there was a significant increase in EV charging infrastructure throughout the UK in 2022, London and the South East remained the regions with the most charging points.
In particular, Greater London saw the highest number of charging devices installed in 2022, rising from 9,160 at the end of 2021 to 11,559 by the end of the year.
On the findings, Melanie Shufflebotham, Co-Founder & COO at Zap-Map, said: “There are areas we need to see improvements — there’s still a London and South-East bias, especially for slow on-street charging, and reliability remains the top concern for EV drivers.
“The rollout of rapid and ultra-rapid chargers has been moving at pace and this needs to continue through 2023, because they are crucial for topping up en-route.
“Despite the challenges of rising energy prices and supply chain shortages, it’s been another big year for electrifying transport. Hopefully 2023 will beat the records again.”