On a charge
30 August 2023
A new government report recognises that the actual location of electric vehicle (EV) charging points is as important as the overall number available, and says that data from various sources can help local authorities decide where they should be installed.
By 2030, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be phased out and by 2035 all new cars and vans will be zero emission. The Geospatial Commission’s report ‘Charging Ahead’ states existing and prospective EV drivers need to have the same confidence that they can charge up as they have that they can refuel petrol or diesel vehicles, whether in a densely populated city or the countryside.
The report identifies five opportunities to help local authorities better use existing location data and new sources of information. These include understanding the location and availability of existing provision by making charge point operator data standardised, and analysing consumer charging behaviour and travel patterns by using population movement data.
Other opportunities include identifying the location of EVs by using commercially-held data about leased vehicles and determining existing electricity network capacity through better use of distribution network operator data, as well as identifying areas without off-street parking by using proxy data while safeguarding privacy.
The report says that local authorities can play a fundamental role in facilitating private sector investment and ensuring all communities have access to reliable public charging infrastructure, especially on-street charging points.
Commenting on the report, Steve Ward, Decarbonisation Programme Manager with Transport for Wales, said: “Good quality location data is essential to us helping the public and private sectors collaborate to identify and develop sites for EV charging. We have worked with datasets from a large number of sources to develop modelling tools that indicate which locations are more suitable for commercially-funded charging facilities, and which could be unlocked by targeting investment in improving electricity supply capacity.
“We are sharing the outputs of our mapping with all stakeholders, including the electricity Distribution Network Operators, who are using this data to plan ahead of anticipated demand for charging ‘hotspots’,” he added.
A robust and comprehensive charging network is required to support this transition, with a minimum of 300,000 public charge points needed by 2030. It has also been estimated that by 2050 there could be approximately 10 million electric cars and vans that are regularly parked overnight on-street in the UK.
In addition, the report states, “There is a need to identify poorly served locations, consider issues such as social inclusivity and provision across rural and urban communities. If targeted in the right way, robust and comprehensive charging networks could stimulate local economic development, enable improvements in air quality and create flourishing high streets and public spaces.”
Photo: Gustavo Fring
