Electric vehicle charging device statistics: October 2021
Published 21 October 2021
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electric-vehicle-charging-device-statistics-october-2021/electric-vehicle-charging-device-statistics-october-2021
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About this release
This release presents experimental statistics on the number of publicly available electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, broken down by local authority. Data is provided by the electric vehicle and charging point platform Zap-Map.
The coronavirus pandemic is likely to have had a small impact on figures where data coincides with various restrictions.
The next quarterly report is scheduled for release in January 2022.
Key findings
As of 1 October 2021:
- there were 25,927 public electric vehicle charging devices available in the UK
- of the total devices available, 4,923 were rapid chargers
In July to September 2021:
- available devices increased by 1,553, up 6% on the previous quarter (April to June 2021)
- rapid devices increased by 372, an increase of 8% on the previous quarter (April to June 2021)
- there was an increase in total devices across all regions
- rapid devices numbers increased across all UK regions except for Northern Ireland
UK growth in public charging devices
Since 2015, the number of public devices has grown by 9% quarterly, on average. Rapid devices have increased at a much higher rate, with an average quarterly increase of 13%. In the last 12 months, the average quarterly growth for total and rapid public devices has reduced to 7% and 9% respectively.
Table EVCD_01a and Table EVCD_01b provide a breakdown of public charging devices in each local authority in the UK whilst Table EVCD_02 shows the change in the number of devices since 2015. These tables are published alongside this report.
Chart 1 Growth in UK public charging devices since 2015 (Table EVCD_02)
Chart 2 Growth in UK public rapid charging devices since 2015 (Table EVCD_02)
Regional distribution of charging devices
There is an uneven geographical distribution of charging devices within the UK. Some UK local authorities have bid for UK Government funding for charging devices, and others have not. Most of the provision of this infrastructure has been market-led, with individual charging networks and other businesses (such as hotels) choosing where to install devices.
Chart 3 Public charging devices per 100,000 of population by UK country and region (Table ECVD_01a)
Chart 4 Public rapid charging devices per 100,000 of population by UK country and region (Table ECVD_01b)
Chart 3 and Map 1 show that London and Scotland had the highest level of charging provision per 100,000 of population, with 87 and 49 devices per 100,000 respectively. In comparison, the average provision in the UK was 39 per 100,000.
Northern Ireland had the lowest level of charging device provision with 18 devices per 100,000, followed by the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber with 23 and 24 devices per 100,000.
Chart 4 and Map 2 indicate that Scotland had the highest rate of rapid device provision of 12.5 rapid devices per 100,000, whilst the average provision in the UK was 7.3 per 100,000. Rapid device provision was lowest for Northern Ireland and Wales, with 1.1 and 5.0 rapid devices per 100,000 respectively.
An interactive map of this data is available.
Maps 1 and 2 - Total and rapid public charging devices per 100,000 of population by UK region
Quarterly change in public charging devices
Maps 3 and 4 - Quarterly change in total and rapid public charging devices per region
As Map 3 shows, all regions across the UK saw an increase in total charging devices between July and October 2021. Yorkshire and the Humber had the greatest quarterly increase at 14.8%, whilst Northern Ireland and the North East had the smallest increase at 0.6% and 3.3% respectively. London had the greatest increase in absolute number of devices at 376 devices.
Map 4 shows that rapid devices have increased in every region in the UK with the exception of Northern Ireland, unchanged from 21 rapid devices in July 2021. In the East of England, the number of rapid devices increased by 2.2%, Wales had the largest increase at 13.5%. However, Wales still has the lowest level of rapid device provision in Great Britain, with 5.0 devices per 100,000 population.
Further detail on the quarterly change in charging device numbers displayed in Maps 3 and 4 can be found in Annex A.
The number of available devices can fluctuate for a range of reasons. Increases likely reflect the installation of new devices, whilst owners and operators can choose to temporarily or permanently decommission or replace devices. Charging devices can also be unavailable due to faults, maintenance, or other restrictions in the area where they are located.
Background notes and limitations of data
This is a quarterly statistical release on electric vehicle charging devices. We would welcome feedback from users of the statistics.
A charging device is a unit capable of charging the batteries of plug-in electric vehicles. Devices are classified by their power output, and each device may offer one or more connecting points. The term ‘chargepoint’ is also sometimes used, including in previous statistical publications from the Department for Transport. This may refer to either a single device or a number of connectors on a device which can be used simultaneously.
Charging devices have largely been funded by private sector investment, however a number of the devices have been Government funded via a number of grant schemes operated by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). OZEV also provides grant funding for private domestic charging and workplace charging devices, which are included in the quarterly electric vehicle charging device grant scheme statistics publication. Private domestic and workplace charging devices are not included within these statistics, as they are not necessarily available to the general public.
Charging device location data is sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zap-Map and represents devices reported as operational at midnight, 1 October 2021. Zap-Map reports that they cover 95% of publicly accessible devices. True counts are therefore likely to be higher and we have no way of assessing whether data coverage is better in some geographical areas than others.
There are no other sources with such comprehensive coverage against which we could verify the Zap-Map devices. As of 4 October 2021, the National Chargepoint Registry (NCR) covers 18,626 devices so cannot be used to verify the Zap-Map counts. The NCR, whilst covering fewer devices, does contain more detailed information on each charging device including the exact location and number of connectors.
Total devices represent publicly available charging devices at all speeds, including:
- slow
- fast
- rapid
- ultra-rapid devices
Rapid devices are those whose fastest connector is rated at 25kW and above.
A device can have several connectors of varying types and speeds. Some devices can charge only one vehicle at once, whilst others can charge multiple simultaneously. The Zap-Map data does not indicate how many cars can be charged by a single device, therefore the statistics count the device itself. There is often more than one device at a location. Charging capability in any given location (the number of cars able to be charged at the same time) will be higher than the number of devices.
Population figures by local authority are sourced from the Office for National Statistics Population Mid-Year Estimates for 2020. The local authority administrative geographies are from April 2021, available from the ONS Geography Portal.
Data after July to September 2019 reflects charging devices which were available at the end of each quarter. Data previous to this uses charging devices which were available at July to September 2019 but were installed in previous quarters before this. Subsequently, these figures do not include any devices installed before July to September 2019 that were decommissioned or unavailable at the time.
This quarterly statistical series complements 3 earlier releases presenting statistics on observed usage and charging patterns for electric vehicle charging devices funded under various OZEV schemes:
Experimental Statistics
These quarterly statistics are badged as Experimental Statistics. Users should be aware of the status and cautions of these series, which will vary for each statistic and will be explained within each publication. The statistics are new but still subject to testing in terms of their volatility and ability to meet customer needs. They do not meet the rigorous quality standards of National Statistics, for example with respect to partial coverage. Further details on the limitations of Experimental Statistics can be found at the Office for National Statistics.
Annex A: Regional quarterly change table
Table 1 - Quarterly change in total and rapid public charging devices per region (Maps 3 and 4)
| Region | Total quarterly change | Rapid quarterly change |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 6.4% (+1553) | 8.2% (+372) |
| North East | 3.3% (+29) | 9.6% (+20) |
| North West | 6.5% (+105) | 5.6% (+21) |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 14.8% (+171) | 8.2% (+28) |
| East Midlands | 10.4% (+133) | 11.6% (+36) |
| West Midlands | 8.3% (+132) | 9.4% (+40) |
| East of England | 6.2% (+98) | 2.2% (+8) |
| London | 5.0% (+376) | 12.5% (+77) |
| South East | 5.0% (+162) | 6.9% (+49) |
| South West | 9.1% (+156) | 12.5% (+47) |
| Wales | 8.5% (+78) | 13.5% (+19) |
| Scotland | 4.3% (+111) | 4.1% (+27) |
| Northern Ireland | 0.6% (+2) | No change |
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