Electric car chargers in rural areas

author: FutureCar Staff    

Ministers have revealed that just one in six publicly available electric car chargers are located in rural areas. Official figures show that out of 34,203 on-street chargers across England, only 5,700 (16.6%) are in rural areas. This lack of infrastructure in rural regions makes it impractical for many rural motorists to own electric vehicles (EVs) as they would have to drive longer distances to find a charger. Additionally, the scarcity of chargers could potentially lead to more competition among drivers.

These figures have raised concerns that motorists in certain regions are being left behind in the push towards electric vehicles. In comparison to other areas, London is leading the way in meeting the 2030 target, with 152 publicly available chargers per 100,000 of the population. However, in the largely rural region of North West England, there are only 39 chargers per 100,000 people, and in Yorkshire and the Humber, there are 45 chargers per 100,000 people. The average across all regions in England is 67 chargers per 100,000 people.

Despite concerns about the slow rollout of charging infrastructure, the government remains committed to its target of banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. However, Tory MPs have expressed their worries about the lack of charging points, particularly in rural areas. They argue that EVs may be practical for those with private driveways, dedicated chargers, and the means to afford them, but for the majority of rural residents who rely on longer distance driving, EVs are not a viable option.

Transport decarbonisation minister Jesse Norman revealed the figures for rural chargers in response to a written parliamentary question. He emphasized that currently, the majority of electric car charging happens at home and that the government expects home charging to remain central to the future charging behavior of drivers. However, those who cannot afford the cost of installing a home charger, which can reach up to £1,500, are forced to rely on publicly available connectors.

The government ended its scheme of grants for homeowners in March 2022, which provided up to £1,500 towards the cost of installing a home charger. Prior to the scheme's end, 78,393 out of 292,354 home chargers installed with grant money were located in rural areas. Experts have warned that older drivers, women, and lower-income motorists may be left behind in the transition to electric vehicles due to the high costs associated with owning and running an EV.

In the first half of 2023, only 24% of EV sales were to private buyers, with businesses accounting for the majority of purchases. This suggests that there is still a long way to go in convincing the 30 million drivers in the UK to switch to electric vehicles in order to meet the 2030 target. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has faced pressure to reconsider the target, with the Daily Mail launching a campaign advocating for a re-evaluation.

A spokesperson from the Department for Transport stated that the number of public chargepoints has increased by 38% over the past year, putting the government on track to achieve its official target of 300,000 chargepoints by 2030.

FutureCar Staff