The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘Urgent attention’ needed to up electric vehicle charging points
Warning more work needed to provide charging points
Many regions of the UK are “falling short” when it comes to providing charging points for electric vehicles, new analysis has indicated.
There are almost 17,000 people for every publicly funded charge point, research by HSBC found.
The north-east of England has the highest level of provision, with 664 charge points, representing one for every 3,931 people.
Scotland was next best, with 743 charge points across the country, meaning there is one for every 7,127 people.
But only two other areas, Northern Ireland and the south-east of England, had higher than average levels.
And in Wales there are just 31 publicly funded charge points – one for every 98,806 people.
The UK Government wants to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040, with Scotland aiming to do this eight years earlier by 2032.
But while about 47,000 electric vehicles were registered in 2017, only 173 new publicly funded charge points were installed last year, according to HSBC.
Scott McClurg, head of energy and sustainability for HSBC Corporate Banking, said “urgent attention” must be given to the number of charge points available, as more and more people switch to electric vehicles.
He said: “Charge points are a vital barometer for the health of the electric vehicle market. Infrastructure is fundamental to the successful transition to emission-free driving and so far the UK is falling short in many regions.
“While the major forecourt owners plan how to balance rising demand for charge points with the ongoing need for petrol and diesel pumps, there is an opportunity for private investors to plug the charge point gap across the UK.”