The annual EV Charging Survey provides direct insight into the experience and behaviour of a unique sample of EV drivers, and how this behaviour has changed over time. Indeed, based on the responses of more than 3,000 EV drivers across the UK, the survey has uncovered new trends in charging behaviour – most notably in the area of high-powered, 'en route' charging and the increasing popularity of charging hubs.
With the vast majority of EV drivers (93%) continuing to use the UK's public charging networks, and 40% using public chargers at least once a week, the survey found a significant increase in both the installation and usage of high-powered – also known as ultra-rapid – charging devices across the country in 2021.
While rapid chargers (25kW – 99kW) are still used by the most EV drivers overall, the survey found that the usage of ultra-rapid chargers jumped to 27% of EV drivers – up from just 16% in the previous survey.
In part, this increase in usage is being driven by the growing number of ultra-rapid chargers that are now available to use, with the number of ultra-rapid devices available growing by 60% in 2021. However, it also provides a clear indication that the new ultra-rapids are fulfilling demand from EV drivers travelling longer distances, with most new EVs now able to charge at the higher speed.
Meanwhile, while charging hubs demonstrated the most growth in terms of usage, supermarkets and motorway service areas retained the top two positions, with 52% and 50% of respondents respectively saying they regularly used these types of location.
Melanie Shufflebotham, Zap-Map co-founder and COO, said: "As the number of EV drivers on the road approaches half a million, a robust charging infrastructure is essential, and the public charging network is growing and developing to meet these changing needs. This new survey shows that the 60% growth in high-speed ultra-rapid chargers and the installation of charging hubs across the UK in 2021 are being used by an increasing proportion of EV drivers.
"We know that EV charging use cases are diverse, as the survey makes clear, and we absolutely need a range of charge speeds to match them. However, amongst other considerations, the demand for high-powered chargers revealed in this report indicates that ultra-rapid chargers and charging hubs continue to be a crucial area of investment – for the simple fact that they make long journeys easier."