Unequal spread of electric charging points

Transport companies using electric vans have discovered that the number of public charging points is not equal across Britain.

According to the latest figures from the Department for Transport (TfL), London saw the biggest rise in charging points from July to September, at 26.9%, while the number in the north-east actually fell by 7.3%.

This decrease related to a subset of charging devices being wound down by the charge point operator. The number of available devices can fluctuate for a range of reasons, says the DfT.

Increases, it said, are likely to reflect the installation of new devices, while 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, though data on the status of charging devices is not held by DfT.

Some UK local authorities have bid for Government funding for charging devices, and others have not, it said. 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. As of October 1, 2023, there were 49,220 public electric vehicle charging devices installed in the UK.

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