Electric Car Charging Stations in the UK

There’s never been a better time to switch to an electric vehicle (EV) because charging electric cars is now so much simpler. Not very long ago, EV owners were limited to how far they could travel in a single journey by their car’s relatively short range, provided they could get back home again.
But now, incredible improvements in battery technology have made two things happen: A car’s range has dramatically increased; and electric vehicle charging stations have sprung up all over the United Kingdom which allow quick battery top-ups at prices the average driver can afford.
Electric car charging points are now appearing everywhere. At first, they were only available at those rare dealers who sold electric vehicles as part of their range. Now they’re at many garages, shopping centres, motorway service stations and car parks.
There are four major types of charger, depending on the connector you have available, and the type of charge you need:
Slow (3kW)
Fast (7-22kW)
Rapid AC (43kW)
Rapid DC (50+kW)
Rapid chargers – usually available at motorway service stations and garages – can give your car an 80% charge within 30minutes. Ideal if you’re on the go.
Slower chargers may be found in places where you’d expect to leave your vehicle for a longer period, such as a station car park.
There are also specialist charging points for certain makes. If you’re lucky enough to own a Tesla, you’ll know all about this.
Let’s have a look at the figures. According to the Zap Map website, which allows EV users to quickly find their nearest charging point on their phone, new points are being installed at a rate of more than one every day.
As of early November 2015, there are over 9,400 publicly accessible EV chargers in the UK, at over 3,500 locations. The number of chargers is expected to reach 10,000 in the New Year, and that’s going to increase rapidly as more electric vehicles hit the road.
A look at the Zap Map app shows a spread of chargers across nearly all towns in Great Britain, and becoming just as essential as the petrol pump for today’s driver. My own locality has rapid AC and DC chargers at the nearby motorway services, free slow and fast chargers at a garden centre, and competing fast chargers at two major supermarkets situated across the road from each other.
Now that electric car charging has become almost universal, Flexed has electric car hire and leasing deals at competitive prices for you today. Call our experts for an instant quote.