Map reveals worst areas in UK for electric car charging stations – tips to avoid getting stuck
The areas with the worst electric car charging stations in the UK have been identified.
The UK’s ten worst regions have been revealed following an analysis of Department for Transport and ZapMap figures from July 2023.
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DfT data shows the Isles of Scilly, off the coast of Cornwall, is the only part of the UK without public chargers.
That figure is disputed by local councilors there, who say there are 24 bays available on the islands.
On the mainland, there’s Castle Point, a small borough in South Essex bordering Southend-on-Sea, with just three public charging points, but all of them are fast sockets that can charge an electric vehicle in around 30 minutes.
Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire came third with just nine charging points and two fast charging stations for the entire market town.
Fenland in East Anglia does only slightly better with only 10 charging stations, one of which is a fast charging station.
In the Staffordshire Moorlands district, which is next to the Alton Towers theme park, there are a dozen electric vehicle charging points, only one of which is a fast charger.
North Kesteven, a district in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, has 16 devices serving the region, while The Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire doesn’t fare much better with just 17.
North East Derbyshire and Rutland near Peterborough come with 18 devices.
Merthyr Tydfil, about 20 miles north of Cardiff, Wales, is also on the list with 18 chargers, only two of which are fast chargers.
A DfT spokesman said: “We have invested more than £2 billion to support the transition to electric vehicles and there are now more than 45,000 public chargers across the UK.”
“The number of public charging points increased by 38 percent last year – a rate that puts us on track to reach 300,000 by 2030.”
However, this picture changes slightly when comparing charging points per 100,000 inhabitants, which could be a cause for concern for electric vehicle drivers.
The Merseyside district of Wirral makes it into the top 10 as the area has 9.7 devices per 100,000 people, despite having more than 30 bays in total.
Bolton comes in fifth place with just 12.2 devices per 100,000 people.
Walsall, Sandwell and Ards and North Down are in the top 10, with all three regions having 14 plugs or fewer per 100,000 people.
Gridserve managing director Toddington Harper said it was important that no area was left behind in the transition to electric vehicles.
He said Express.co.uk: “The number of available electric vehicle charging points is increasing faster than ever before and it is important that no cities or regions are left behind.”
“Gridserve fully supports any initiatives that ensure adequate charging of electric vehicles across the UK. Gridserve also delivers charging infrastructure for cities and more rural areas.”
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