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The Government is set to miss its target for the installation of high-powered electric vehicle (EV) chargers at motorway services in England, according to new analysis.
In March last year the Department for Transport (DfT) pledged to “ensure that every motorway service area has at least six rapid chargers by the end of 2023”.
But RAC research shows only 27 out of 119 motorway services in England currently meet that target.
It stated that fitting high-powered chargers is “not straightforward” and urged ministers to “make this process simpler”.
Rapid charge points can add around 100 miles of range to an EV in 35 minutes.
They are seen as crucial to encouraging more motorists who use their cars for long journeys to make the switch from petrol or diesel to electric.
The RAC analysis is based on statistics from charger locator service Zapmap.
A DfT document from March 2022 stated that “many operators” of motorway services had “embraced the ambition” to install six high-powered chargers by the end of 2023, with “over 70%” of locations having a plan to deliver this.
RAC EV spokesman Simon Williams said: “Our findings show there is much work to be done before the end of the year if the Government’s target is to be met.
“Installing these types of units is not straightforward as connecting to the electricity grid is expensive and time consuming, but clearly more needs to be done to make this process simpler than it is currently.
“While we understand the Government is taking steps to expedite matters, the importance of ensuring sufficient high-powered charging is readily available up and down our motorway network can’t be emphasised enough.
“A lack of charging facilities is rapidly becoming one of the most widely quoted reasons for drivers not going electric.
“All parties involved in making installations happen must work together to overcome this obstacle.”
Quentin Willson, automotive journalist and founder of EV campaign group FairCharge, said: “When you look at how quickly Tesla put their Superchargers into the motorway service network, you’re forced to wonder why the Government is working at such glacial speed to do the same.
“We simply must pick up the pace.”
The sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned in the UK from 2030.
A DfT spokesperson said: “While 97% of motorways service areas already have charging available, industry has plans to install many 100s more chargepoints in the coming months.
“We‘ve put more than £2bn into accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, and our £950m Rapid Charging Fund will further boost charging to support long distance journeys, including at motorway services.”
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Unfortunately, I can’t say I’m surprised. Anything Government gets involved in, regardless of party, turns into a cluster****.
@kezo Unfortunately, I can’t say I’m surprised. Anything Government gets involved in, regardless of party, turns into a cluster****.
Indeed Peter, you are quite right!
One of the issues is around DNO’s getting permission to run the cabling required over private land – lots of charging sites built, but waiting (sometimes over a year) for the DNO to connect them to the grid.
There’s a consultation here to run a new HV cables (pylons) from Northern Scotland to Dundee to enable hookup of more windfarms, necessary, but of course, all of the nimbys say it will spoil the view…I will be able to see it, but that’s fine, you can’t say you want to go green and be less reliant on gas, then moan when the infrastructure that’s needed might be seen (it’s 5 miles away, not over the back fence).
The local town hall meeting was very negative, despite there already being pylon runs in the distance, one more would make sod all difference.
In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found out.
One of the issues is around DNO’s getting permission to run the cabling required over private land – lots of charging sites built, but waiting (sometimes over a year) for the DNO to connect them to the grid. There’s a consultation here to run a new HV cables (pylons) from Northern Scotland to Dundee to enable hookup of more windfarms, necessary, but of course, all of the nimbys say it will spoil the view…I will be able to see it, but that’s fine, you can’t say you want to go green and be less reliant on gas, then moan when the infrastructure that’s needed might be seen (it’s 5 miles away, not over the back fence). The local town hall meeting was very negative, despite there already being pylon runs in the distance, one more would make sod all difference.
I went a couple of meetings last year for a new windfarm near me thats just going through planning. They initially sais they were building the tallest turbines in the UK, 250 metres high and 170 metres in rotor diameter. You can imaging the outcry by those who attended, even though you can get cheaper electricity living within a certain radius.
Anyway me being me said if there painted army camauflage and stick a light on top, they would blend in with the surroundings lol. Athough the folk attending wern’t happy with my idea, even though the company responsible wrote it down lol. Anyhow they have reduced the number of windmills from 26 to 21 and lowered their height considerably. Oh and the company has said the windmills will be standar colour white!
There’s a consultation here to run a new HV cables (pylons) from Northern Scotland to Dundee to enable hookup of more windfarms, necessary, but of course, all of the nimbys say it will spoil the view…I will be able to see it, but that’s fine, you can’t say you want to go green and be less reliant on gas, then moan when the infrastructure that’s needed might be seen (it’s 5 miles away, not over the back fence).
Sorry I forgot to mention this in my last post:
the DNO should have gone to the government and got a compulsary work order to allow thes cables to be run over private land. No doubt the private land owner live local in nice homes and would prefer to look at pylons. The mind boggles!
Well I think I’ll be in no hurry to go EV.
Today I’ve gone from King’s Lynn to Hartlepool – 194 miles and used 15.5 litres of petrol in Citroën c5 x 1.2 litre. At £1.45 per litre it’s cost me just under £22.50 and averaged around 56mpg. Drove at normal speeds and about half of journey at 70mph on motorway and dual carriageway but also a stop start period of a couple of miles for road works.
Also with that sort of consumption I have a range of nearly 600 miles.
So, I’ll need some persuading, anyway I only got Citroën a couple of weeks ago so got 3 years before I need to consider it.
@Gary V
TBH, it’s all about whether you can charge at home and how often you do long runs.
The 194 mile journey you describe would be no problem in my Hyundai Kona EV. I wouldn’t be flapping or worried about making it. If I estimated a conservative 4 miles per kWh then that journey would use 48.5 kWh. At my nearly at an end Octopus Go tariff of 7.5p per kWh that would cost me £3.64. At my due to start Go tariff of 9.5p that would be £4.60. A significant saving I’m sure you would agree.
The only downside is that I wouldn’t be able to replace that 48.5 kWh all in one go due to the tariff’s 4 hour cheap rate window and the home charger speed. I would need to charge over 2 days to completely recharge which wouldn’t be an issue to me as I don’t do that sort of run regularly in quick succession.
Hope this is useful, Gary. In 3 years time I’m sure that battery capacities will be better again and longer runs will be even easier. The bigger issue for higher mileage drivers will probably be the slow speed of home charging and the high costs of public charging.
One of our neighbours changed there PHEV to the top of the range VW ID5 but found it just to complicated, reasonable range in the summer but very poor in the winter, they change it to a Volvo XC40 EV the range not so good again range very poor in the winter the lack of charging point was causing them range anxiety, they have now gone back to a PHEV, he was a AA most of his working life.
Unfortunately I have suffered a brain injury and occasionally I get confused and often say the wrong thing.
I did my first very long trip in my EV after 2 years and 20,000 miles in April, went from Aberdeen to Dover and back, 1250 miles all in, charged 3 times on the way down, 3 on the way back. Went down the A1 there and M6 back (just for a change – we usually do M6 both ways).
Trip was a doddle, no issues, not stuck or had any range anxiety issues, took 30 minutes longer than our average on the way down (been doing the trip to father -in-law for 18 years, don’t need sat nav anymore). Mostly, I think, as we were going a bit slower, indicated 72 (real 70) instead of indicated 77.
Stops were all around 30-35 minutes and the Kia Soul is not fast on the charger, maxing out at 77kw and not the 125kw+ of more modern EVs. Only downside was the cost, most rapids being 70p odds per Kw, but then, my home charging is 7.5p/kw, so the odd expensive long trip away is not really an issue at all when a 250 mile top up is under £5.
In life, it's not who you know that's important, it's how your wife found out.
Frankley services which is the first service area on the M5 only has 1 high speed charger, a few miles down the road the next services, Strensham southbound still has no EV chargers. It’s a really nice service area which has recently been revamped. This is a very busy motorway in summer as everyone going to the Southwest or South Wales on holiday uses it. It needs sorting.
Leicester Forest Has the chargers, but as has been said, the sites power ability means they can’t implement them until the site is upgraded, this effects not just the chargers, but all the services on site.
Yes, you can carry around enough petrol to do 600 miles between fill up if a resource tgat once it’s used it’s gone, but the average joyrney is 40 miles round trip.
I travel once every few months from the midlands to Lancaster University to see the lad, 90% of the 350 miles is motorway. But instead of the ICE mindset of fill up then fill up again, with an ev it’s ABC Always Be Charging, keeping the “tank” filled to 80% for local majority of trips, but fill to 100% for this long run and bookmark charging stops on the way.
This chap shows the optimum way to do a big run
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