Northgate Vehicle Hire‘s latest analysis highlights the pressing need for UK cities to expand their electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to achieve the government’s target of installing 300,000 public chargers by 2030. The data identifies the shortfall in chargers across various cities and calculates the required number of installations in each location to meet the shortfall by the 2030 deadline.
The study shows that the UK will need to install 2,800 charging points every month across the country to meet this goal. It also found that the shortfall is not evenly distributed, with some cities needing to install a lot more chargers than others to bridge the gap.
- London remains a focal point in the EV infrastructure rollout. Westminster alone will need to install 9,938 new charging points to meet the target.
- Birmingham faces one of the largest shortfalls outside London and will need 2,148 new chargers by 2030 to meet demand.
- Leeds is estimated to require 2,019 additional charging points.
- Manchester needs to install 1,573 charging points to stay on track with the government’s targets.
- Glasgow will need 2,347 chargers to be installed by 2030 to meet the current shortfall.
Northgate’s analysis provides a detailed regional breakdown of the cities most in need of additional chargers. For example:
- Liverpool will need 2,145 new chargers, while nearby Sheffield must install 1,035 to meet demand.
- In the Southwest, Bristol will require 527 additional charging points.
- Edinburgh needs 1,927 new chargers, while Cardiff will need 700.
The figures show the scale of the challenge that both local authorities and the private sector will be dealing with in the years to come.
Melanie Creedy, EV Business Development Manager at Northgate Vehicle Hire, says, “Meeting the 300,000-charger target by 2030 is a critical milestone for the UK’s transition to electric vehicles. Our analysis shows that major cities will need to keep up the current pace of installations to ensure drivers have access to the infrastructure they need. While the disparity in charger numbers across different regions is clear, addressing this will support a smooth transition to electric mobility. Local authorities and businesses alike will need to continue to collaborate closely to meet this ambitious goal.”
