EV charging survey sees growth in en route 'ultra-rapid' options, local charging hubs

Thu 21 April 2022 View all news

A survey from leading EV charging information provider Zap-Map has found that alongside the rapid growth in EV sales over the last year, the use of ultra-rapid chargers has grown significantly. It also found significant growth in demand for power from EV charging hubs - which often include rapid or ultra-rapid chargers. 

Meanwhile Autotrader has entered the discussion, publishing a new statistics-driven guide to EV chargepoints in the UK.

According to Zap-Map the report represents "a deep dive into understanding the shape and usage of Britain’s EV charging network".

Based on a survey of over 3,000 EV drivers across the UK, Zap-Map found that the use of ultra-rapid chargers rose from 16% of EV drivers in last year’s survey to 27%.  While rapid chargers (25kW – 99kW) are still used by the most EV drivers overall, growth was most significant in the use of ultra-rapid chargers (100kW+).

While this is partly driven by the growing number of ultra-rapid chargers available to use (60% growth in 2021) the authors suggest the evidence also indicates that new ultra-rapids are fulfilling demand from EV drivers travelling longer distances.

The growth in demand for power from local EV charging hubs tends to corroborate a central finding of the Zemo-convened EV Energy Taskforce's latest report - 'Charging the Future: Drivers for Success 2035'

Zap-Map says that EV charging hubs tend to be groups of between four and ten charging devices, predominantly offering rapid or ultra-rapid devices that, typically, enable drivers to add between 70 and 200 miles of charge in around 30 minutes.

The research found that the vast majority of EV drivers (93%) are continuing to use the UK’s public charging networks, with 40% using public chargers at least once a week.

Another key finding of the research was growing satisfaction reported by EV drivers, who are increasingly confident about driving long distances, with fewer than 1% wanting to go back to petrol or diesel 

In terms of driver satisfaction, the study found that the twop three networks last year were InstaVolt, MFG EV Power and Osprey.

Melanie Shufflebotham, Zap-Map co-founder and COO, said: “We know that EV charging use cases are diverse, as the survey makes clear, and we absolutely need a range of charge speeds to match them.

"However, amongst other considerations, the demand for high-powered chargers revealed in this report indicates that ultra-rapid chargers and charging hubs continue to be a crucial area of investment – for the simple fact that they make long journeys easier.”

Meanwhile, Autotrader has published an on-line resource providing chargepoint maps showing types of charger across different parts of the UK, along with what it describes as a statistical look at EV chargepoints in the UK, also tracking the growth in provision. The resources are accessible here


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