The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced new data for public charging point installations in 2021.
In total, 7,600 public charging stations were added last year. The number includes 5,156 rapid charger installations (defined as delivering 50kW+), representing an increase of 33% over 2020 and 72% over 2019.
Additionally, figures show that total public charger numbers jumped by 9% between 31 October 2021 and 1 January 2022.
Earlier this month, the RAC warned that queues at charging stations are increasingly likely if investment in rapid chargers does not increase, revealing that only 1 in 4 public chargers installed last year were rapid or ultra-rapid chargers.
According to Zap-Map data, there were over 28,300 public chargers in the UK as of January 1 2022. That number is expected to grow to nearly 40,000 by the end of 2022.
However, in its data, the DfT has also highlighted a growing geographical disparity between regions in the UK. As we covered in November last year, London has more public chargers than 36 rural countries combined.
As the public charger rollout gathers pace, cities and motorways are benefitting most while smaller towns and villages are not keeping pace, a problem caused in part by a lack of direction in the rollout of chargers on a national level.
Despite these concerns, the build-out is underway. Shell will install 50,000 chargers by 2025, with around 8,000 of those expected to be installed in 2022.
Looking for an EV charger? Read our guide on how to choose an EV charger.
