Over 14,000 new public charging stations in Great Britain
A quick note on terminology: Zapmap frequently uses the terms “charge points” and “charging devices” interchangeably in its publications. However, at electrive, we distinguish clearly between “charging points” (individual connectors) and “charging devices” (charging stations, which may include multiple charging points). “There is currently no fixed use of the term ‘charge point’ in the UK, although it has historically been used as a synonym for ‘device’,” a Zapmap representative explained. “As technology evolves, so does the most meaningful metric, and we are working with the industry to reach a broad consensus to improve clarity in understanding these figures.”
For clarity, we will refer to “devices” as complete charging stations, not charging points. According to the Zapmap database, there were 87,796 charging stations at 45,033 locations across Great Britain at the end of the year. These stations comprise a total of 116,052 EVSEs (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment), with one EVSE potentially featuring more than one charging connector, though these cannot be used simultaneously. Zapmap reports the total number of connectors as 122,071. Zapmap told electrive that the number of EVSEs is “now a more useful indicator of the ease of charging across Great Britain.”
The strongest growth continues to be in ultra-fast charging stations with capacities of at least 150 kW. For “ultra-rapid charge points,” Zapmap reports a 41% increase, adding 2,872 charging stations to reach a total of 9,893. Stations with 50 to 149 kW are classified as “rapid,” showing an 8% increase to 8,042 stations. Zapmap groups the ‘slow’ (under 8 kW) and ‘fast’ (9-49 kW, typically AC chargers with 11 or 22 kW) categories together. AC chargers now form the largest category, with 69,861 units, an increase of 10,633 stations (+18%).
The number of charging hubs has also risen significantly: with 211 new locations, there are now 748 hubs, marking a 39% increase. Zapmap defines a “charging hub” as a site with at least six ‘rapid’ or ‘ultra-rapid’ charging points, excluding Tesla’s non-public Supercharger sites, while including those accessible to all brands.
Regional distribution of high-power charger growth also varied: “the North West has seen impressive year-on-year growth of more than 35% in these high-powered chargers, with the East of England, Wales and Northern Ireland all recording around 29% growth in this power band (albeit Northern Ireland starting from a low base),” the company wrote.
Zapmap describes itself as “the UK’s leading charge point mapping service.” The company was founded in 2014 with the aim of simplifying the search and navigation for charging points. Today, the Zapmap app also allows users to start and pay for charging sessions.
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